Where She Belongs
by MadiWillow
Summary: Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college? COMPLETE. TxG. -don't read-
1. Chapter 1

**AN:** Hey, this is my first HSM fic. Oh, well, not really, I posted a one-shot a few weeks ago. And to anyone who wants to continue it, I'm not. Sorry!

Well, I've already completed writing this story. There's 11 chapters, and they're all pretty long. This chapter is BY FAR the shortest, by at least three pages..

That's all the freebies you get, so now read and then review! Constructive criticism is welcomed. I don't mind whether or not you like my story, but if you don't like it, please state reasons why.

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating: **_T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 1_

Gabriella sighed and ran a hand absentmindedly through her naturally curly hair. She licked her dry lips and stared out of her dorm window, just... thinking.

It was a Friday night in March, and, of course, Gabriella had nowhere to go. Her roommate, ironically one of the most sought-after girls in the school, was out, probably with one of her many boyfriends. But Gabriella didn't mind; she liked being alone.

She was a sophomore at Stanford University, her dream school, on an academic scholarship. She'd always worked towards getting an academic scholarship, except for that brief time in high school... No! She wouldn't think about that now.

She'd always wanted to go to Stanford, ever since she'd visited the school as a little girl. It was her mom's alma mater, as well as her maternal grandfather's, so she'd always made it her mission to go there too. She'd questioned for a while about whether she should really go there, after she and her mother moved to New Mexico, but when they'd moved back to San Diego, she'd felt better.

Of course, that didn't mean she was _happy_ her mother's company had broken their promise and transferred them back to San Diego, where she'd been stationed right before they moved to Albuquerque. When she'd found out, she had cried, yelled, and cried some more, but she couldn't escape the truth, so, in October of her junior year, she'd moved away.

It wasn't like the move was all bad. In her old school in San Diego, she'd managed to have a small group of friends like her – straight A's, studious, no real life apart from studying – that she could go back to, but it just wasn't the same.

Right after she and her mother moved to New Mexico over Christmas Break, her mother had treated them to ski vacation in Colorado. While at a teens party for New Years Eve, she'd been chosen to sing a karaoke duet with a boy she didn't know. However, they'd sang great together and formed an instant friendship, exchanging phone numbers before the night was over.

Then she started her new school in Albuquerque a week later and, surprise, surprise, that was where the boy, Troy Bolton, lived and went to school. They had so much chemistry, it was insane – but it'd taken them a couple weeks to get together.

The school didn't want them together; nor did they want them to sing in the school musical together, since Troy was a popular jock and Gabriella was a nerd. But they'd sang anyway, had won the lead roles, and unofficially started dating.

After only 8 months of dating, however, Gabriella'd had to move away, and she and Troy unofficially broken up a couple weeks later. It was too hard to keep up such a long-distance relationship.

They hadn't spoken in a long, long time. They'd stayed in touch as friends for their junior year, but then Troy had gone to a two month basketball camp that summer and Gabriella had only received a couple text messages since, telling her that Taylor, Gabriella's best girl friend at East High, and her boyfriend, Chad, had been voted Homecoming King and Queen in their senior year, and that Zeke, one of Troy's basketball friends, had proposed to Sharpay, their self-absorbed-turned-friendly friend, on New Years Eve of their senior year, even though they were still in high school.

Gabriella's heart sank. She figured Sharpay and Zeke were probably married now, since they'd become engaged over two years earlier, and it hurt her that she hadn't been invited. But what could she expect? She hadn't seen them in three and a half years.

Gabriella absently reached for her cell phone, the same one she'd had for four years, and flipped through to Troy's number, where his picture was still saved. He'd taken it of himself when they'd first met. She smiled slightly. She wondered how much he'd changed.

Her computer _Briiing!_ed with the sound of an instant message being received. She sat down at her computer and jiggled the mouse so the screen came back up. It was an instant message from her boyfriend, Jeremiah, who always went out to bars on Friday nights with his friends. He'd never invited Gabriella along, which was just as well, since she probably wouldn't go with him anyway. She was a little confused at why he wasn't out. She glanced at her alarm clock. It was only eleven.

"Hey there!" he'd said.

She typed back, "Hey yourself. Why aren't you out?"

He immediately typed back, "We just decided to take a night off."

Gabriella typed, "Oh, well, that's nice."

"Yeah. So, we're still going to the game tomorrow, Gabi?"

Gabriella winced at the nickname he'd christened her ever since they'd first met. She constantly told him not to call her that. He would say okay, but then he'd do it again. They'd actually gotten into a couple fights about it.

_Troy wouldn't have called me that if I didn't want him to_, Gabriella caught herself thinking, and quickly shook her head.

She didn't really want to go to the game. It was some basketball game for the March Insane tournament... thing, Stanford vs. UCLA. She'd much rather type up her term paper for the semester and then stay in her room.

"Please? You promised, Gabi!" Jeremiah typed.

"Don't call me that," She messaged him back. And then, "Well, I guess I'll go."

"Great!" Jeremiah instantly messaged her. "I'll pick you up at around ten. It's a really long drive and the game starts at 7. We need to make sure we get there early."

"Okay, see you then."

"Bye. I love you."

Gabriella tensed up. Jeremiah had been saying, "I love you" to her for three of the six months they'd been dating, and she'd yet to say it back. Whenever he said, or typed, it to her, she would always have a mini-panic attack. She never liked lying, so she'd compromised with, "Me too" or "Same here". After that, she'd always walk away, hang up, or sign off her conversation with him before he could attack her for it.

Jeremiah wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, but surely he'd noticed something by now?

"Yeah, me too!" Gabriella responded before signing off.

_I loved Troy before we even started going out,_ she thought. _I never had a problem saying it to him._

Gabriella didn't even try to stop herself from thinking about him. It wouldn't work, and would just make her more mad at herself.

She yawned widely and changed into a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. She turned off her computer, climbed into bed, switched off the light, and continued to think about the time in her life when she'd first fallen in and out of love.

But, at the same time, she wasn't so sure she had even fallen out of love.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Thanks for the reviews! ) I love getting reviews. Usually I don't update this fast – it's been, like, what,two days? – but since I already had this written, and I want you guys to read it, I decided to post it. Most of you have already guessed how they're going to meet again; hehe, I guess I made that kinda obvious.

So I'm writing another HSM fic. If you so far enjoy this story, and/or liked my one-shot, be sure to check that one out when I post it. So far I have 5 chapters done (well, six, if you include the short prologue) and no title (titles are usually the last thing I get). I think it's going to be longer than this story chapter-wise (since those chapters are shorter) but it's too soon to tell.

Okay, I talk way too much in my AN's. So read and review!

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 2_

The next morning, Gabriella's set alarm clock woke her up at seven, as usual. She was a morning person; she hated sleeping in as the day passed her by. It just seemed like a waste.

She stretched and breathed in the scent of her dorm room in the morning. It was still winter, so it wasn't yet very light out that early in the morning, but that didn't bother Gabriella. She opened her dresser and pulled out a plain pair of white pants, blue long sleeved shirt, and a blue belt. She went down the hall to the bathroom, both of which were always completely deserted on a Saturday morning at 7 a.m.

Gabriella took a long, hot shower, washed and conditioned her hair, and shaved her legs. She combed her hair and let it hang down her back so it would dry and curl naturally. She pulled on her clothes and fastened her belt. She walked barefoot down the hall and reentered her room, turning on the computer. Looking around, she realized that her roommate, Jessyca, had yet to come back.

Gabriella worked on her term paper for a while until her hair was completely dry. Glancing at her clock, she saw that it was 9:00. She walked back to the bathroom with her makeup bag, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and then applied her mascara and lip gloss. There. All done.

After quickly putting half of her hair up and tying a blue ribbon over the thin hair-tie and putting on a pair of blue sandals, Gabriella grabbed her purse and left.

She hailed a taxi and directed him to the nearest Starbucks and grabbing her usual morning latte. It woke her up completely, making her breathe in the scent of San Francisco in the early morning. She checked the clock on the same phone she'd had for four and half years, which read 9:45. She grabbed a taxi back to the school, where she found Jeremiah waiting for her by his car.

"Hey you!" She squealed with enthusiasm when she saw him. She threw her arms around him and hugged him, not particularly enjoying his Abercrombie & Fitch smell.

"Hi," he said gruffly. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting coffee? I would've picked you up there."

Gabriella gave him a look. "I always get coffee in the morning."

Jeremiah didn't answer; he just slipped into the drivers seat and waited for her to climb into her seat. She sighed and walked around the car to the passenger side.

They rode the first hour or so in silence. After a while, Gabriella couldn't take it so she pulled out her iPod and listened to that for a while.

They'd been driving for around three hours when they got stuck in traffic, Gabriella's long-since-been-emptied-coffee-cup rolling around in the backseat. She turned off her iPod to listen to whatever Jeremiah was listening to on the radio.

A song that she liked, but didn't know the name of, came on, and she cried, "I love this song!", speaking the first words in the car since they'd left the school.

She almost slipped up and started singing, but managed to compose herself in time and just hum. Gabriella hadn't sang a note since she'd moved away from Albuquerque. Not in the shower, not while she was alone, never. She'd never had a reason too.

Jeremiah ignored her. He seemed to be angry about something. Gabriella sighed again and let her head rest against the window. Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

"Gabi? Hey, Gabi! Gabi, wake up, we're here!" An impatient voice said from far away.

Gabriella jerked awake, looking around. They were parked in a huge parking lot, close to a large stadium. She looked around to see Jeremiah's head sticking through the open door, a bunch of his friends behind him.

"It takes forever to wake you up," He mumbled irritably as he withdrew himself form the car.

"Sorry," said Gabriella quietly, running her fingers quickly through her hair and fixing her smudged lip gloss. She stepped out of the car and closed the door behind her. She looked around. "What time is it?" She shivered slightly, but Jeremiah made no move to warm her put, offer her his jacket, or even put his arms around her.

"Six," answered Jeremiah. "Come on, let's get to our seats." He led the way to the entrance, he and his friends talking animatedly as she trailed behind them. She took out her phone and found herself looking through her numbers until she found Troy's.

The second time in less than 24 hours; was this a sign?

She suddenly got a huge desire to just press the "Call" button and see what happened. Perhaps he still has the same phone, or the same phone number? What if he answered it, and they talked for hours and fell back in love?

Too bad she never fell _out_ of love with him.

They entered the stadium and went right to their seats. Jeremiah had the best seats of all of his friends; he and Gabriella were in the fifth row. Gabriella sighed out of boredom and took a book out of her purse to read. Without saying anything, Jeremiah left for a few minutes and came back with a huge bag of popcorn, two hot dogs, nachos, and a soda.

Gabriella, her stomach aching with hunger, stuffed her face with popcorn as she read. She ate and read, ate and read until the game was twenty minutes away from starting and the teams were warming up.

Gabriella got the sudden sensation of being watched, and she looked up sharply at Jeremiah. But he was chewing his nachos greedily as he watched the teams warm up. Gabriella scanned the stadium but couldn't see anyone looking at her.

She continued to read and eat popcorn before she felt it again. She looked up irritably and found herself staring into the eyes of a familiar-looking UCLA basketball player.

Gabriella looked back at her book, convinced she must have seen him once while watching a game with Jeremiah before she snapped her face up again.

She'd seen him before, but not on TV. In person.

Troy.

He was staring at her with wide eyes. She stared back with her mouth slightly agape. "Gabriella?" he mouthed.

Gabriella stared back for another minute before she felt all the popcorn she'd just consumed start churning in her stomach. She clapped a hand to her mouth, rose from her seat – which was luckily on the end of the row – and ran up the stairs to the nearest bathroom.

"Gabi?" Jeremiah called after her, seemingly forgetting that he'd been angry at her for whatever reason earlier. But Gabriella ignored him. No way was she going to throw up ten pounds of popcorn in the middle of the stands at a nationally televised basketball game, in front of her ex-boyfriend whom she just happened to still be in love with.

No way.

She kept running, keeping her hand fastened over her mouth, until she reached the bathroom, threw open the stall door, and puked her guts out.

Gabriella retched for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a minute or two. Gagging at the sight of her projectile, she flushed the toilet after wiping her mouth on toilet paper.

She heard someone enter the bathroom and Jeremiah called, "Gabi, are you okay? The game's about to start!"

"Don't call me that," She growled before standing up and leaving the stall. She strode over to the sink, turned on the faucet, and stuck her mouth under it. She swished the water around in her mouth before spitting it out again.

She hated throwing up; it was one of the worst feelings ever.

Jeremiah sighed in annoyance. "Why do you always give me grief for that? It's a nickname!"

"A nickname that I don't like," Gabriella snapped. "Why don't you just stop calling me that, then I wouldn't give you grief for it!"

Jeremiah just rolled his eyes, as if she was being completely ridiculous. "That game's about to start. Come on, let's go."

"Because that's all you care about," Gabriella murmured under her breath so Jeremiah couldn't hear it. _Troy would just stop calling me that,_ she told herself. And then she remembered why she'd thrown up in the first place; her stomach rumbled again, but there was nothing left to throw up.

Gabriella sat the rest of the game in a trance. She stared at her book the whole time, trying to ignore the screams and cheers of the sports-fanatics around her, and the fact that Troy was playing right now. She just couldn't _believe_ he was there, of all people.

_He was probably let in on a basketball scholarship,_ Gabriella thought.

Then, when half-time came, Gabriella was starving again. She told Jeremiah she was going to get something to eat and quickly left the stadium.

Standing in the middle of the crowded, food-filled lobby, holding her bubbling stomach, Gabriella found nothing that would do well, or even okay, with her stomach. Even though she was still dying of hunger, she instead decided to go outside for a quick breath of fresh air.

She walked out and cool, March air hit her clammy face. She breathed in deeply through her nose, and out through her mouth. She felt better already.

"Hey,"

Gabriella whipped her head around, her curly hair flying, to come face-to-face with none other than Troy Bolton, wearing a UCLA tracksuit. Her stomach churned dangerously again.

She stared at him, blinking slowly. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Wow, I can't believe it's really you!" Troy exclaimed, his face shining.

Gabriella smiled a little. "Why aren't you in the locker rooms?"

"I told the team I needed some air," said Troy offhandedly. "It's been so long!"

Gabriella forgot to be nice and instead, in an icy voice, she said, "Yeah. Over two years. Whose fault is that?"

"What?" asked Troy, taken aback.

"On New Years Eve, you texted me to say that Zeke and Sharpay got engaged," Gabriella said angrily. "I responded to that right away, but you never texted back." She paused for a second before adding, "And, oh yeah, thanks for telling me about two of my old friends getting engaged when I wasn't even invited to the wedding!"

"The wedding?" asked Troy dubiously. "They haven't gotten married yet."

Gabriella blinked again. "Huh?"

"They're waiting until their out of school, or at least until senior year," Troy told her.

"Oh," Gabriella felt a little embarrassed. "But still, how come you stopped texting me?"

"Because..." Troy faltered. "Hey, well, you could've called me too!"

"Wait, don't put the blame on me!" exclaimed Gabriella.

"Why does it have to be my fault?" countered Troy.

"Because _I_ texted _you_ last. You should've responded to me," Gabriella explained. "I figured that if you didn't wanna talk to me, you probably didn't want me texting and calling you all the time."

"But I did want to talk to you," muttered Troy.

Gabriella sighed in irritation. "I really don't understand you, Troy," she turned back around.

"It-," Troy stammered. "It just hurt to much to talk to you."

There was a silence. Gabriella finally turned back around and said, "What?"

"It hurt to much to talk to you, knowing I would probably never see you again," Troy elaborated.

"We could've seen each other again," said Gabriella softly. "Over vacations. My mom was always asking if I wanted to visit you guys in senior year, but I never went because I hadn't heard from you all in so long." Gabriella felt a lump grow in her throat. "I-I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"We could never forget about you, Gabriella," Troy wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Gabriella leaned her head against his chest, breathing contentedly. Jeremiah never did this to her...

Oh wait, Jeremiah. Oops.

"No, wait," Gabriella untangled herself from Troy and took a step back. "We can't do this."

"What, this?" asked Troy as he bent down to kiss her lips. Gabriella moved her head to the side so that his lips brushed her cheek.

"Well, that guy I was sitting next to – he's my boyfriend," said Gabriella, somewhat apologetically.

A look of comprehension dawned on Troy's face. "Oh," he simply stated. After a few moments of them just staring at each other, Troy said, "Um, well, I better get going. Bye." He turned around and went back into the stadium without even waiting for her response.

Gabriella, instead of feeling sad as she followed him, felt rage build up inside of her. Why was he acting like that? It's not like they made a pact that they wouldn't see other people or anything. She was sure that Troy must have dated since the last time they'd seen each other, considering how popular he was. How hypocritical of him to get angry with her at something like that!

She sat back down in her fifth row seat, next to said boyfriend, who asked where her food was. "Nothing agreed with my stomach," Gabriella answered shortly, staring determinedly at the court.

Troy seemed to be doing terrible. He didn't seem into the game; he kept missing shots, free-throws, and rebounds. Gabriella also noticed he was refusing to look at her.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Thanks for reviewing! I know you all want Troy and Gabriella to get together... but just be patient! It may happen in time!

Oh geez. I just wrote the saddest chapter I have ever written in my life. It's not for this fic, it's for my other HSM. It was so sad, I was almost crying too. Why was it sad, you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait until chapter 5 of that fic is posted. Which hopefully won't be in too long.

And I'm writing _another_ HSM fic, partly because the sad one is so draining. This new one is a humor fic, so check that out when it's published. It won't take long at all.

Lastly... my birthday is on May 16th! You better not forget to leave me a birthday review! Don't worry, guys; I'll remind you about it after every chapter I post. :)

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 3_

Finally, after another agonizing hour and a half, the game ended. Gabriella couldn't be happier to be able to leave the stuffy stadium full of obnoxious college boys, drunk Hooters girl, and... well, Jeremiah. She just wanted to go home.

"So, are we headed back to school?" asked Gabriella hopefully. She wanted to get some sleep, _badly._

Jeremiah gave her a look. "Hell no. There's an after-party."

Gabriella's mouth dropped. "But what about me?" She cried.

Jeremiah shrugged as they started up the stairs to the lobby. "You can stay in the car." Gabriella stared at him in indignation. He obviously sensed her irritation, as he added, "Or why don't you just join me? You don't have to drink or anything. I'm sure they have water."

"Well..." Gabriella muttered. "I'm kinda tired."

"Then _sleep_ in the car," scoffed Jeremiah. "Or you can sleep at the house we're going too."

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. No way was she sleeping in some strange persons house with hundreds of drunk guys running around. No thanks. She sighed. "Well, I guess I'll come with you." She relented. _Hopefully Troy won't be there._

"Great!" Jeremiah exclaimed enthusiastically. "Maybe you can try some Corona, it's really good you know-," He paused and gave her a sideways glance as they left the stadium and emerged into the cool parking lot. "Oh yeah. You don't drink."

"Yeah, I don't," Gabriella told him quietly. Truth was, she had gotten drunk, once. The summer after her sophomore year, she, Troy, Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Sharpay, Jason, Zeke, and Ryan had all gone over to Jason's to hang out and he'd snuck a couple packs of beers into his family's den, where they always hung out. It had been the first time getting drunk for all of them, and Gabriella felt a little guilty admitting that she'd liked it.

Not that she'd done anything inappropriate, or anything. It had just been a really exhilarating feeling, doing something so completely illegal, yet fun, with her best friends.

"Well, then, I really don't know what you're going to do there," said Jeremiah. He unlocked the car and slipped into the driver's seat, waiting for her to enter the passenger side. _Troy used to open the door for me..._

When she got in and shut the door, they left the stadium and followed a long line of cars into a gated, residential community. They parked, got out, and followed a large crowd of people down two streets before finally reaching a huge house where the party was at.

Gabriella followed Jeremiah into the house, wishing he would take her hand and guide her through the mob of people, some of them already trashed. But he didn't; he just went right to the beers, popped one open, and downed it in a matter of seconds.

Looking around, hoping to see someone she recognized, Gabriella realized that this wasn't just a party for Stanford students – they had won, after all – but also UCLA students. No way was she going to know anybody here. Most of the people she talked with, but weren't really her friends per se, were most likely still back at Stanford. Gabriella found herself wishing more than anything she could be with them and not at this over-crowded house party with music so loud it was giving her a migraine.

Knowing she wouldn't be missed. Gabriella pushed past a bunch of dancing couples – or threesomes, foursomes, whatever – to the stairs. She hoped that not many people were up there.

Her prayers were answered – the huge upstairs was nearly deserted. She went straight for the first door she saw, hoping it was a bathroom, but it was a very spacious bedroom. Deciding that the person who occupied it probably wouldn't care that she was there, Gabriella entered and shut the door behind her. She didn't know what she was going to do up here, but it was better than being down there.

Or not.

After sitting on the bed for a couple minutes, just thinking, she heard a loud thud from the other side of the door, and Gabriella stood up quickly. The door handle turned and a clearly drunk guy came stumbling into the door. If he hadn't been wasted, he would've been gorgeous – his curly, almost black hair curled at the ends in all the right places, and his not-too-tight-but-not-baggy Abercrombie & Fitch clothing made him look like a model. But his face was shining with sweat, and his would-be-beautiful green eyes were dull.

"Hey, you," the guy mumbled, as if they knew each other. "Whaddya doin' up here, all alonnne?" He slurred.

Gabriella smiled politely. "Oh, nothing. Just admiring the house." She started walking to the door but the boy blocked her way.

"Oh, no you don't," He sputtered, closing the door and blocking her path. "You ain't goin' nowhere!"

"Excuse me," said Gabriella with forced-politeness. "I need to go."

"No, you don't!" The guy yelled and he pushed her back onto the bed.

"Hey, what-!" Gabriella tried to scream, but the boy covered her mouth a strong hand and began to undo the button on her pants. Tears started to fill her eyes, but she wasn't going to take this without a fight. She in a house filled with people – obviously someone had to be sober enough to elp her?

She started to claw the boys face, making him slap her back. But that didn't stop her – she tried to hit him in the stomach, to kick him away from her. She got her chance to scream when he recoiled slightly, holding his stomach.

"Help!" she screamed as loud as she could, but the boy punched her into the stomach before she could get much more out, knocking the wind out of her and causing her eyes to water. He then put his hand back over her mouth and nose – he was blocking her airway – she couldn't breathe –

"Hey, what the hell are you doing!" A familiar voice shouted. The boy moved off of Gabriella immediately to sit down next to her. She sat up straight, gasping as she forced air back into her lungs. Blinking through her tears she saw that Troy, of all people, was standing at the door, his face furious. He was wearing the same UCLA tracksuit Gabriella had seen him in during halftime.

"Hey mann," the boy slurred as if nothing had happened. "Saw you at the game. You did-,"

"Get the fuck outta here!" Troy shouted, his eyes livid.

The boy looked surprised. "Geez, man, get a grip on yourself," He got up and stumbled past Troy, through the door. "Hey, and what was up in the second half? You looked-," But before he could finish his sentence, Troy had slammed the door in his face.

There was an awkward silence between Troy and Gabriella. After a moment or two of Troy staring at Gabriella and Gabriella staring at the floor, she realized that the top of her pants were still unbuttoned and her shirt had been lifted up, exposing her stomach. She quickly re-buttoned them and stood up, fixing her shirt.

"Thanks," she whispered, almost inaudibly. She made her way to the door, but knew that there was no way Troy was going to let her leave.

"Where's your boyfriend?" He asked, almost bitterly. "If I was at a party like this with my girlfriend, especially a girl as pretty as you, I wouldn't let her out of my sight for a second."

Gabriella stood before Troy, folding her arms angrily. "Why are you so upset about this boyfriend thing? Did we have some kind of deal that we wouldn't date after we broke up?"

"No, but-,"

"I'm sure you've dated. You _can't_ tell me you haven't dated." Gabriella plowed on.

"Well, I've gone on dates, sure!" argued Troy. "But I haven't actually had a girlfriend!"

"Oh, and this is my fault?" asked Gabriella angrily. "So, because you haven't had a girlfriend and I have a boyfriend, that means I did something wrong?"

"No, it just hurts me to see you with someone else!" exclaimed Troy.

There was another awkward pause, before Gabriella said, "I'm sorry. But, please, don't be mad about Jeremiah. Please."

Troy sighed. "I won't." Another pause. "Hey, what do you say to getting something to eat?"

"Well, I don't know-," Gabriella started, but just then her stomach rumbled so loudly it sounded like some kind of hurricane. She blushed in embarrassment as Troy laughed.

"So I guess that's a yes?" He grinned.

"Well, but, what if Jeremiah decides to leave and he can't find me?" asked Gabriella.

"He knows your cell phone number, right?" Troy asked. She nodded. "So he can call you and pick you up at the restaurant. And if you're worried he might get jealous or something that you're having dinner with another guy," added Troy, "I can make sure to hide when he gets there. So, come on. You're hungry, and we can catch up. I can give you updates on what everyone's been up to and stuff. Please?" He pleaded, pretending to pout.

Gabriella laughed. "Well, I guess so." She grabbed her purse from the bed and said, "Okay, I'm ready."

They went back downstairs and pushed their way through the crowded mob of sweaty, drunk college kids to get to the outside. Troy grabbed her hand and gently guided her through. Gabriella prayed that Jeremiah didn't see, but then again, at the speed he'd ingested that first beer, he was probably so buzzed that he wouldn't even register what he was seeing even if he _did_ see them.

Troy and Gabriella walked together slowly for a while until they finally reached his car. Troy opened the door for her, smiling. Gabriella smiled back before climbing in and fastening her seat belt. Troy jogged around the front of the car to the drivers seat, got in, and started the car.

"Sorry about your loss tonight," said Gabriella, breaking the silence.

Troy shrugged. "Ah, it's okay. I don't really care that much, to be honest," he glanced at her. "I was probably the reason we lost anyway. But oh well, there's always next year."

She nodded. "So, tell me, did you get into UCLA on a basketball scholarship?"

"Yeah," said Troy modestly. "After winning the championship again in junior and senior year, every college I applied to accepted me and pretty much begged me to go to their schools. Actually, even schools I _hadn't_ applied to wanted me." He laughed,.

Gabriella laughed, too. "I figured something like that had happened."

"So what about you?" asked Troy as they drove out of the neighborhood through the gates. "Stanford, huh? I'm not surprised you got in."

She giggled again. "Yeah, well, I got an academic scholarship, which was really good for us because, well," Gabriella paused awkwardly. "I'm not sure my mom would've been able to afford sending me there for four years."

Troy nodded, pretending not to notice her discomfort. "I expected nothing less. About the scholarship, I mean."

Gabriella blushed slightly.

They drove along in silence for another few minutes before pulling into a fancy restaurant.

"Wow. This is beautiful." Gabriella said in awe as she went to open the car door.

"Hey, wait," said Troy. He climbed out of the car and ran to the passenger door. "My lady," he opened her door and bowed.

Gabriella grinned. "Why, thank you, sir," she said in a fake British accent and giggled again.

Troy smiled too as they began walking up the stairs to the restaurant. "Does Jeremiah do that for you?" Taking notice of the look Gabriella gave him, he added quickly, "I'm not trying to rat on him or anything, but it's just the way you went to let yourself out of the car. If you're boyfriend always opened the door for you, it doesn't seem like you'd go to open the door for yourself right away."

Gabriella raised her eyebrows at his strange philosophy. "Maybe I was just being polite." Troy continued to gaze at her, so she sighed and relented. "Well, no, he doesn't. But he's not supposed to, is he?"

Troy shrugged. "No, he's not," he said, in an unconvincing voice. He held the door open for her when they reached the entrance, something Jeremiah didn't do either, and then entered after her. The restaurant was almost completely empty, except for a few couples out for a late night, romantic dinner.

"Table for two?" The blonde hostess guessed in a bored voice. When the two of them nodded, she sighed irritably, as if they were asking for a huge favor or something, and then grabbed a couple menus while saying, "Follow me."

She led them to the very back of the restaurant next to a pair of huge windows. The small table had a single red candle in the middle of it. "Enjoy your meal," the hostess droned before plopping the menus on the table and stalking away.

"Well, she wasn't very pleasant," Gabriella said quietly as they sat down.

Troy laughed lightly. "You know, I've always wondered why they seat you in random places throughout the restaurant. You'd think they could just put you in the closest table, but instead they'll lead you, like, all the way to the back of the place." Gabriella raised her eyebrows again. "It just seems out of the way, you know?"

She shrugged. "I guess so." She smiled at him and picked up her menu to scan through it. "Do you come here often?"

Troy shrugged. "Sometimes. Usually I'll just come alone, if I need to be alone, or something."

Gabriella nodded in understanding. The two of them looked through their menus for a couple minutes. Gabriella couldn't decide on what she wanted, so she just figured she'd get whatever Troy got, which is what they used to do. They'd always fought to order first, because a lot of the times they didn't like what the other was eating. People around them always gave them rude stares, but it had been a cute little tradition of theirs.

She set her menu down on the table and said, "So, how's everyone? Do you still talk to them?"

Troy nodded as he put his menu down as well. "Yeah, we all talk a lot. We meet somewhere to hang out once, sometimes twice, a month."

Gabriella nodded, feeling a pang of sadness to realize that her old friends met up with each other all the time, without her.

"We all go to school in California," Troy explained. "It was a pact we made when we applied to school, to go to school here."

Gabriella nodded in understanding.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you – Kelsi and Jason broke up," Troy added.

Gabriella's mouth dropped open. "Really? Wow! They were always so cute together!" She paused. "Is it... awkward around them?"

Troy thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "No, not really. They broke up in... I think it was January, senior year. It was a mutual thing, and at first it was uncomfortable, but then, a couple weeks later, they talked for a long time and severed their ties. They're pretty good friends."

"Are they seeing anyone new?"

"Yeah," Troy laughed a little. "Kelsi's actually going out with Ryan, and Jason met someone up at school."

"Kelsi and Ryan?" Gabriella exclaimed, laughing. "Wow, who would've thought?"

"I know!" Troy laughed too. It felt so good to laugh with him again – just like old times.

"Hi! How are you two kids doing?" An overly perky, slightly overweight brunette came over to their table with a pencil behind her ear and a note pad in her hand for their orders.

The pair of them smiled and Gabriella said, "Fine, thanks."

"I'm Marjorie, and I'll be your waitress this evening!" She explained excitedly as if telling a group of preschoolers that they were going to be playing duck-duck-goose. "What can I get you two?"

"Um..." Troy glanced back at his menu. "I'll have the steak with potatoes and fries, and... I guess I'll just have a water with that."

Marjorie jotted his order down on her pad and then said, "What about you, gorgeous?"

Gabriella said, "Um, I'll have the same," a little uncomfortably because of the perky waitresses comment. But then she saw Troy grinning at her from across the table and smiled back.

"Oh, aren't you two just so adorable!" The waitress cried before taking their menus and bustling away.

Troy and Gabriella both started laughing quietly once Marjorie was out of earshot. "What a nutcase." said Troy quietly.

Gabriella giggled.

"But she wasn't too nutty," said Troy. "I mean, she thought you were gorgeous."

She blushed furiously at the comment. She coughed a little uncomfortably, even though Troy had called her gorgeous before, and then said, "So, where does everyone go to school?"

Troy stretched his arms over his head. "Well, I'm alone at UCLA. Sharpay, Zeke, Chad, and Taylor are just across town, at USC." Then Troy laughed again and said, "You know what's funny, is that Taylor was this close-," He held up his forefinger and thumb to demonstrate how much, "-to going to Stanford, but she'd gotten a full scholarship to USC and not Stanford, so she went there instead. Besides, Chad was going to USC, so that was a plus."

"Wow," said Gabriella. "I can just imagine if she'd gone to Stanford. That would've been so great." She sighed sadly. "Another stroke of luck against me."

There was a small silence and Troy cleared his throat awkwardly, "And, um, Jason is at UCSB with his girlfriend of, like, a year or something. And Kelsi and Ryan are at Cal Poly."

Gabriella nodded. "So all the couples stayed together, huh?"

Troy nodded too. "Yeah, they all planned it like that." He smiled.

Marjorie strode over to their table, juggling two waters and two steaming plates of meat. "Here ya go!" she cried happily as she set their dinner in front of them. "Enjoy the meal, you crazy kids!"

"Thank you," responded Gabriella politely, holding back a smile. She and Troy both starting eating and were silent for a while, except for the chink of knives and forks on the plates.

"So, I understand why _you_ didn't call me," said Gabriella, as if continuing a talk they'd just been having. "But, what about everybody else? I haven't heard from them since before I last heard from you."

Troy was silent for a moment. He was chewing his food slowly, thinking. Then he swallowed and said, "You know, I'm not sure. We never really discussed the fact that we'd all stopped calling you. I mean, we talked about you all the time, of course, wondering what you were up to and stuff like that. But-," He paused again. "I don't know, I think they were just too afraid of being disappointed."

"Disappointed?" she prodded.

"Well," Troy struggled to find the right words. "I think they were afraid that they'd call you and discover that you were, like, in another country and that you'd forgotten about us and were having the time of your life wherever you were. They probably thought it was better to just imagine what you were doing instead of actually finding out and being let down."

Gabriella nodded slowly. She stared down at her half-eaten food sadly. "I probably should have called you guys sometime." She looked back up at Troy, who was staring intently at her. "I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay." He reached across the table and grabbed her hand in his. Gabriella smiled at him, and he grinned back. It felt just like old times.

Gabriella then pulled her hand away from his and continued to eat. She was still starving from eating nothing all day so she was finished within minutes. She could feel Troy watching her out of the corner of his eye, and it made her heart melt.

"Just wait until everyone hears about this!" exclaimed Troy suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Everyone! Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, Kelsi! They're going to be so happy!"

"About what?" asked Gabriella, perplexed.

"About me seeing you again! It's, like, a miracle." He laughed.

"Oh," Gabriella beamed. "Maybe it can go back to old times."

Troy nodded. "You are obviously welcome to come join us when we hang out." He paused. "And Jeremiah too." Gabriella could tell he was trying to sound excited about it, but he said Jeremiah's name with some bitterness.

Gabriella nodded enthusiastically. "That'd be great."

Marjorie came by, took away their plates and handed them the check. Troy simply refused to let Gabriella pay for the dinner, which made her feel slightly uncomfortable; when they'd dated, they always split the check in half.

"My treat," insisted Troy.

"Well, you did stop a guy from molesting me, or more, earlier, so the least I could do is help pay," argued Gabriella.

"Come on, Gabi, chill," grinned Troy.

"Don't call me that," she said immediately and then regretted how rude and annoyed she sounded. But she was so used to Jeremiah calling her that, that it was really getting on her nerves.

"Oh, sorry," said Troy apologetically as Marjorie returned with his change. "I forgot you don't like being called that."

Gabriella nodded.

"So, uh, should I take you back to the party?" asked Troy as they stood up. Gabriella checked the clock on her phone. It was around midnight.

"Um... no," sighed Gabriella. "Whenever Jeremiah goes to these kind of parties, he either leaves before eleven or ends up passed out there. So I guess I'll just get a hotel-,"

"No way!" cried Troy. "Nope, you're coming to my apartment. You can crash there for the night."

"But-," protested Gabriella as he led her to his car. "Hey, wait, you have an apartment? Aren't apartments, like, really expensive in Beverly Hills?"

"Yeah, well," Troy opened the car door for her and then got into the drivers side. He started the car. "My roommate, who's also on the basketball team, has some famous producer parents or something and they offered to pay the entire rent, so who am I to refuse that?"

Gabriella laughed. "Wow, you're lucky."

Troy started to drive. "He's probably out at some party and won't be back until the afternoon, so you don't have to worry about him."

She nodded.

They drove for another few minutes in silence until they reached a beautiful apartment building. "Home, sweet home!" said Troy, getting out and, once again, opening the door for her.

"Wow, it's gorgeous," breathed Gabriella.

"Come on." Troy grabbed her hand and dragged her to the door. "We're up on the ninth floor."

They to the elevator and rode up to the ninth floor. They walked down the hall and opened one of the doors, revealing the apartment.

"Wow," uttered Gabriella for the third time that night. They were in the middle of a huge living room, with an archway on the other side that showed the kitchen. Down the hallway was three doors, that most likely led to bedrooms.

"Yeah, it's nice," said Troy offhandedly. "So, do you want something to drink?"

Gabriella shook her head and said, "No thanks, but I need clothes."

"Ah, of course," Troy disappeared into the closest room and came out with a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt.

"These are the smallest clothes I have." He tossed them over to her.

"Thanks." Gabriella smiled at him and yawned hugely. "Wow, I'm exhausted. Um, I guess I'll sleep right here-," she sat down on the couch.

"Oh, no!" said Troy quickly and pulled her up. "Nope, you get my room."

"No, but-," protested Gabriella.

"Get in there," Troy spread himself out on the couch so she couldn't get on. "Sleep tight." He grinned.

Gabriella playfully smirked at him. "You too." She turned to walk away but Troy grabbed her hand and pulled her down next to him. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Troy kissed her on the cheek.

She smiled and got up from the couch, going into Troy's room.

"I love you," whispered Troy, once he was sure the door was closed.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** And I'm back! Thank you once again for all the reviews, and for plot suggestions. However, I have already completely writing this story so most of your comments will probably not happen. Actually, I think so far none of them are happening. Sorry! But hopefully you'll still like the story.

Chapter 5 will probably be up in 2 days, since that's what my pattern has been. And remember: 10 days 'till my birthday!

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 4_

Gabriella slept sounder that night then she had in a long time, and when a ringing phone jerked her awake at eight the next morning, it took her a moment to realize why she was so happy.

"Hello?" she asked groggily into the phone, forgetting where she was.

"Uh, hello?" asked a voice on the other line. "Isn't this Troy's place?"

"What are you-," Gabriella paused. "I mean, yes." She sat up and yawned.

"Who are you?" asked the somewhat familiar male voice. "Hey, did Troy finally get himself a girlfriend? Well, it's about time!"

"Um, who's this?" asked Gabriella.

"Tell him it's Chad," said the voice.

Gabriella froze. "_Chad?_"

There was a pause. "Uh, do I know you? You do sound kinda familiar, but I don't know any UCLA girls..."

"Chad, it's me! Gabriella!" she cried.

Another pause. "Wait, no. What? Gabriella? _The_ Gabriella?"

Gabriella giggled. "Yes, it's me!" she exclaimed. "Wow, it's so great to talk to you!"

"Hold on a sec," Chad instructed and Gabriella heard him saying, "Taylor? Hey, Taylor, get over here! _Gabriella's_ on the phone! Yes, that Gabriella! That's what she says!"

Gabriella heard some commotion on the other line and then a familiar voice shrieked, "Gabriella! Is that really you?"

Laughing, she responded, "Yes, Taylor, it's me. It's so great to hear from you!"

"OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!" screamed Taylor on the other line. Gabriella heard Chad yell over her, "Taylor, shut up, you're going to wake up Sharpay and Zeke!"

"Too late, they're already up," said Taylor and then to Gabriella, she said, "What are you doing at Troy's apartment?"

"Well, it's a long story-," started Gabriella.

"Who's at Troy's place?" a familiar girls voice said in the background. "Did Troy finally get himself a girlfriend?"

"No, it's Gabriella," supplied Chad.

"Gabriella!" the girl exclaimed. It sounded as though the phone was being wrestled away from Taylor, and Gabriella heard Sharpay's voice squeal, "Gabriella, is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me," said Gabriella. "I know it's late, but congratulations on the engagement."

"Oh, thanks!" said Sharpay excitedly. "I can't believe this! What are you doing at Troy's?"

"It's a really long story-," repeated Gabriella, but this time she was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Hold on," she said to Sharpay and then, "Come in!"

Troy walked in, carrying two glasses of orange juice.

"Good morning," said Troy, grinning as he handed her a glass. Then he noticed the phone and said, "Who're you on the phone with? I didn't even hear it ring."

Gabriella giggled. "Chad called." She took a gulp of the juice.

"Oooh, Chad," said Troy.

"Yeah, so now Chad, Taylor, Sharpay, and Zeke all know that I spent the night at Troy Bolton's apartment," She picked up the phone again and said, "Hey, guys, I'll call you later." Her statement was met with protests but she hung up anyway. "Sorry for answering your phone, I forgot I was here-,"

"No, don't worry about it," said Troy sipping his orange juice. "So Jeremiah hasn't called yet?"

"Nope," Gabriella sighed. "He's probably still passed out."

Troy nodded, as if he understood. "Well, would you like some breakfast? I'm not the best cook, but I can probably make eggs and some toast."

Gabriella smiled at his gesture. "Thanks, but I usually don't have breakfast."

"No breakfast?" asked Troy, faking an appalled expression. "Do you know how _unhealthy_ that is?"

She giggled. "I usually get a latte at Starbucks. Sometimes I'll get a muffin, but only sometimes."

He nodded. "Want me to drive you over there?"

Gabriella nodded. "Sure, that'd be great!" She looked down at herself. "Um, let me just get ready."

"Oh, right, no problem," Troy stood up quickly and strode out of the door, closing it behind him.

Gabriella stretched and got out of bed. Still slightly amused by her phone conversation, she put on the same clothes she'd worn from the day before. They looked fine on her, just a little wrinkled. Then she noticed, a bit too late, that she hadn't taken her makeup off from the day before, so her mascara was smudged. Horrified that Troy had seen her like that, she quickly grabbed a cotton ball, wet it, and dabbed at her makeup. Once all of her old makeup was off, she pulled a tube of mascara from her purse and reapplied some, then smeared on some lip gloss, slipped on her sandals, tied her hair up in a ponytail, and left the room.

"Hey, I'm ready," Gabriella told Troy, who was lounging on the couch waiting for her.

"Great!" Troy stood up and clapped his hands together. "Let's go!"

They left the apartment and went down in the elevator in silence. Once they reached the car and pulled out of the parking lot, Gabriella decided to make some conversation. "So, uh, your roommate wasn't home, huh?"

Troy shook his head. "Nope. He's probably passed out, too."

Gabriella nodded. "I never really understood why people like getting drunk so much. I mean, you drink and have some fun, sure, but then you pass out, throw up, or get terrible headaches." she mused. "Why do you have to get drunk to have fun? You can have fun sober, too."

Troy nodded slowly. "Yeah," he paused, and then added, "So, um... you didn't have fun that one time we got drunk, then?"

She shot him a glance. "Why do you ask?"

Troy shrugged quickly. "No reason. Just asking."

Gabriella, still giving Troy a baffled expression, answered, "Well... yeah, I did. I mean, the hangover sucked, but I did have fun." She paused. "But I haven't gotten drunk since then. I just... never had anyone fun to do it with."

Troy nodded silently. They drove in silence for another few minutes before he stated simply, "You know, I haven't sang since you moved away."

Turning her head sharply to look at Troy, Gabriella said, "Wow, really?" Troy kept on looking forward, as if embarrassed. Gabriella burst out laughing. "Me either!"

Troy glanced at her too. "You haven't?"

Giggling, she said, "Nope! Isn't that kinda weird?"

"Yeah," laughed Troy. "How come you haven't?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I never really felt the need to. You?"

"Same thing, pretty much," said Troy quietly.

They reached the nearest Starbucks and Troy parked. They both got out and Gabriella asked him, "Do you like this place?"

Troy shrugged. "They have some good stuff."

Gabriella grinned. They both ordered their drinks, and Troy, his stomach grumbling, got a muffin too. They sat at a small table and sipped their drinks together, Gabriella eating some of Troy's muffin absently.

After a few minutes of small talk, Troy grinned and said, "You do realize that you're eating my food, right?"

Gabriella's eyes widened in shock as she realized what she was doing. She swallowed and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" She turned a violent shade of magenta. "I can't believe I did that, I'm so, so sorry!"

Troy laughed. "Chill, Gabriella, I really don't mind. I was just wondering if you knew you were doing it."

Gabriella started to giggle too. "I guess not." Just then her phone started to vibrate and, glancing at the screen, she saw that it was Jeremiah's. "Hold on a sec," she told Troy, pressed the call button, and said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Gabi," said Jeremiah's voice on the other line. "Where you at?"

"Don't call me that," said Gabriella robotically. "I'm at Starbucks."

"Figures..." Gabriella heard him breathe on the other end. She narrowed her eyes in frustration. "Where'd you sleep last night?"

"I... stayed at a hotel," answered Gabriella, not looking at Troy.

"Well, I'm gonna come get you. Are you at that Starbucks by the school?"

"The Starbucks at the school..." she mused, glancing at Troy. He nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay, honey, see you in a few. I love you."

"Same here," Gabriella quickly hung out and took a sip of her drink.

There was an uncomfortable silence before Troy said, "So, um, you just lied to him, didn't you?"

Gabriella nodded slowly.

"How long have you guys been dating for?"

"Six months,"

"Is it a good thing to be lying this far into the relationship?"

"Don't act like you know everything about relationships," snapped Gabriella and immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry, it's just-," she stopped, and started over. "He would've been suspicious if I told him that I'd spent that night at my ex-boyfriend's house whom I haven't seen in three and a half years."

Troy shrugged. "Why? Would he think something had happened?"

"Well, yeah! Wouldn't you?"

"Not if you told me otherwise,"

Gabriella didn't say anything.

"Would you believe me if we were dating and I spent that night at an old girlfriend's house and said that nothing had happened?" challenged Troy.

Gabriella thought about that. She knew Troy too well to think that he would lie to her, or do anything to hurt her. "Well, yeah..."

"What if Jeremiah told you that?"

She stared at Troy incredulously. What was this, 20 Questions? But then she realized Troy was right. She probably wouldn't believe him. Sighing, she said, "Maybe not." But then she fired up again. "So does that make you think that we're not good together? Maybe we are good together, I just don't trust him as well as I trusted you!"

Troy shrugged his shoulders. "That's true." She didn't notice the slightly sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Trust takes time to build!" said Gabriella, feeling more confident. "It's not something that can be gained like that." She snapped her fingers.

"Or in six months,"

Gabriella opened her mouth in indignation but before she could answer, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jeremiah's car. "Jeremiah's here," She stood up and grabbed her coffee, taking a long drink from it. "Thanks for taking me out to dinner and letting me stay at your place last night," she said stiffly, her manners always coming into play. "It was good getting to catch up."

She started to walk away, and Troy called after her, "I'll call you!"

Gabriella just couldn't stay mad at him. She turned around swiftly, smiled, waved, and strode through the door and into the car.

"Hey, baby!" said Jeremiah, leaning across to kiss her on the mouth as she fastened her seat belt. "How was your night?"

Gabriella shrugged. "Pretty good." She glanced quickly at the Starbucks and saw Troy looking at her. He gave her a tiny smile which she returned before turning back to Jeremiah. "What about yours?"

"It was awesome!" exclaimed Jeremiah enthusiastically. He did a U-turn in the car and drove toward the freeway. "That was probably the best party I have ever been to before. It was fucking insane!"

Gabriella nodded, already bored.

"What hotel did you stay at?"

"Oh um, The Hilton," she answered quickly, naming the first hotel that came to her mind. She shut her eyes in horror – the _Hilton?_ She could've thought of something better – or cheaper!

Jeremiah raised his eyebrows. "Wow, the Hilton?" he mused. "Pretty expensive place, huh?"

Gabriella shrugged, "Yeah, well, um, it was just a one-night thing, and, uh, it's not like I got room service, I just, you know, slept there, and, well, I couldn't find any other place to stay-," she rambled.

Jeremiah laughed. "Gabi, calm down."

Gabriella sighed loudly. "Jeremiah, I am _begging_ you, _please_ stop calling me that!"

Clicking his tongue impatiently, Jeremiah retorted, "Why won't you just shut up about that?"

"Because I don't like it!" Gabriella never yelled, but her voice was building in anger and frustration at Jeremiah's stubbornness.

"When I met your mom over Christmas, she called you Gabi the whole time, and you didn't seem so pissed off at her about it!" Jeremiah shouted.

Gabriella started to get tears in her eyes. "It's just one of those things that only parent's can get away with, you know? Please, Jeremiah, just enough with the nickname!"

"You know what, I like the name Gabi so I'm gonna call you that, whether you like it or not!" Jeremiah roared, the car swerving.

Gabriella blinked at him in surprise. She sat there, reeling, until she found her voice and said, "So, you'd wanna call me something even if it makes me unhappy? I thought you loved me."

"But you don't love me!" said Jeremiah angrily. "Don't think I haven't noticed, _Gabi_, but you have never said 'I love you' to me. You always say 'me too', which may imply the same thing, but it still isn't the same thing."

Gabriella didn't answer. In fact, the two of them didn't talk to each other for another two hours as they sailed along the freeway. She had her head leaning against the window, tears silently rolling down her cheeks. She knew her mascara was running but she didn't care.

So, Jeremiah had figured it out. Well, he was bound to someday. They hadn't broken up, though, had they? She didn't know... she sniffed, but he made no effort to comfort her.

She knew Troy thought they had a bad relationship, and she hated to admit it, but he was right; they did. She didn't even know why they were dating. Gabriella did like Jeremiah but... _I don't know, I'm so confused,_ she thought miserably.

Suddenly her phone started vibrating. Jumping slightly, Gabriella retrieved it from her purse and glanced at the number. It was 'unknown'. She pressed the call button anyway and said, her voice cracking from its lack of use, "Hello?"

"Gabriella?" a static-y voice said on the other line.

"Taylor, hi," said Gabriella weakly, trying to sound upbeat and positive. "What's going on?" She raised her voice slightly, as Jeremiah had made no effort to turn down the radio.

"Ooh, I can't believe it's you!" came Sharpay's voice.

"We're on different phones," explained Taylor.

"Oh, I see," giggled Gabriella. "So you guys live together? With Chad and Zeke?"

"Who are you talking to?" hissed Jeremiah.

"Um, hold on," said Gabriella into the phone. She put her hand over the speaker and said, "It's a couple of old friends from high school. I haven't talked to them in a really long time." She paused. "Uh, so would you mind turning down the radio? It's kinda hard to hear."

Jeremiah sighed in annoyance. "Just call them when we get back to school."

"But I haven't talked to them in three and a half years," she protested. "I'd prefer to talk to them now."

"Well, you guys have made it this long," snapped Jeremiah. "You can wait longer." He then turned up the volume louder, ending the conversation.

Gabriella let out a loud "Ugh!" in anger and said, "Do you think you guys can call me back later tonight, around 7? Thanks, bye." She hung up without waiting for an answer and closed her eyes, drifting into an angry, uncomfortable sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** You guys are lucky. It's only been a day in a half since I posted chapter 4, and you're already getting chapter 5! I guess you're begging for a new chapter worked on getting me to post faster.

I know, I know, you all hate Jeremiah and want them to break up. But... well, stayed tuned. :).

This story has become one of my most popular: 22 people have it on their alerts, which is more than any of my other stories, and 14 people have it on their favorites, which is second most of my other stories. Thanks for all the support!

Remember to check out my new story, _Basketball Superstar's Diary_. The title sucks, but I couldn't think of anything else. Anyway, it's a humorous story about Troy's diary that he keeps through the events of the movie. Check it out!

PS: 9 days until my birthday!

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 5_

Finally, in late afternoon, Jeremiah and Gabriella reached Stanford. After parking the car, Jeremiah walked Gabriella up to the door outside her dorm room to say good-night.

"Thanks for coming with me," said Jeremiah earnestly, which made Gabriella wonder if Jeremiah had a split personality or something.

"Oh, you're welcome," beamed Gabriella. "And thanks for putting up with me," she joked.

Instead of Jeremiah laughing with her, he rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah," in an exasperated tone. Gabriella furrowed her brow but said nothing else on the subject. She quickly kissed him before going in her room and shutting the door in his face.

"That was weird," she whispered to herself. Once she was sure he was gone, she grabbed her pajama pants, tank top, and a pair of slippers and went into the crowded bathroom. She got into a shower and savored the feeling of the hot water all over her body. She slowly conditioned and shampooed her hair, but couldn't keep her thoughts straight and ended up conditioning and shampooing twice. Finally, after being in the shower for forty-five minutes, Gabriella got out, dried herself, and dressed. She quickly combed her hair before padding back down the hall to her room.

She pulled on a Stanford sweatshirt over her tank top, as it was quite chilly in her room, before going reaching around under her roommates bed for a bag of popcorn. At the foot of Jessyca's bed, she had a mini fridge and, on top of that, a microwave. She kept all her microwavable food under her bed, for reasons unknown to Gabriella. All she knew was that Jessyca had told her she could help herself to the food, so Gabriella did.

She microwaved a bag and poured it into a bowl she retrieved from under Jessyca's bed. Then she gabbed a Sprite and turned on her TV. 'My Super Sweet Sixteen' was playing on MTV, which was the channel the TV was set to, so Gabriella settled down to watch it, occasionally laughing at how completely selfish the people on the show were. For her sixteenth birthday, Gabriella had thrown a pool party for her closest friends. At least, that's who it had been meant for. Instead, over half of the school showed up and the first hour was spent with Troy, Chad, Zeke, Jason, and Ryan threatening them to leave 'or else.' It was been one of the best day's of her life.

Gabriella's phone started vibrating again. Switching off the TV and glancing at the screen, she saw that it was, ironically, from Taylor's place.

"Hey," she said happily into the phone.

"Gabriella!" exclaimed Taylor loudly. "Don't hang up!"

Laughing, Gabriella assured her, "Don't worry, I won't. I'm alone right now."

"Okay, good," Taylor sighed in relief. "Now, before we talk about anything else, I want to know – _what were you doing at Troy's last night?_"

Gabriella grinned. "Trust me, Taylor, _nothing_ happened," but she went on to explain the weekend's events anyway. "-and then the next morning, Chad woke me up by calling and I forgot where it was so I answered it." she finished. "That's all."

"Hmm," mused Taylor.

"Gabriella, Troy is so totally in love with you, I can't _believe_ you don't see it," came Sharpay's voice.

"Sharpay?" asked Gabriella and Taylor in unison. "I didn't know you were on the line," said Gabriella perplexedly.

"Well, I was gonna call you but then when I turned on the phone, Taylor was already talking to you," said Sharpay offhandedly. "I came on when you started explaining about last night. But anyway-,"

"I _thought_ I heard something," muttered Taylor.

"_Anyway,_" said Sharpay again, sounding annoyed. "Gabriella: Troy. Likes. You. A lot. How do you not see it?"

"Because... he doesn't?"

Sharpay sighed. "Gabriella, I thought you were smart."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Gabriella, offended.

"Why do you think Troy seems to not like your boyfriend that much?" challenged Sharpay. "I mean, from what I've heard about it, he seems like a nice guy. But no, _Troy_ doesn't like him. Why's that?"

"Um, I don't know," Gabriella stuttered, sounding flustered. "Maybe Troy and I have more of a, um, brother-sister relationship. You know, he feels the need to protect me."

Taylor and Sharpay both laughed. "He wants to protect you, but not for that reason," Taylor remarked.

"Yeah, he wants you all to himself!" giggled Sharpay.

Gabriella rolled her eyes, grinning now. "Whatever. You guys are insane."

They spent the next half-hour catching up, pausing only briefly for Gabriella to greet her roommate, Jessyca, as she stumbled in for some clothes before a shower. Gabriella got details on Taylor and Chad's homecoming Queen and King win, Sharpay's engagement, prom, separating for college, etc. And the other girls got information on life back in San Diego and going to college. There was an awkward silence; Gabriella didn't really have anything to share with them.

After a couple minutes, Gabriella yawned and said, "Well, guys, I gotta go. School tomorrow." Sharpay groaned on the other line. Giggling, Gabriella said, "Oh, come on."

"Yeah, it's not that bad!" agreed Taylor.

"Ugh, whatever," said Sharpay. "Maybe I'll skip my morning class so I can sleep in."

"Oh, I forgot to ask, but what are you guys majoring in?" asked Gabriella.

"Theatre," said Sharpay predictably.

"Chemistry," answered Taylor. "What about you?"

"Business,"

"Whoopee," said Sharpay in a bored voice. "So you guys are both gonna have boring old jobs while I'm a famous actress in Beverly Hills and Zeke is a world-famous cook with his own TV show."

Gabriella and Taylor laughed. After a couple more minute of chit-chat, they hung up.

"Who was that you were talking to?" asked Jessyca as she came back into the room after her shower. Her brown hair was freshly blow-dried and her toenails newly painted.

"A couple old friends from high school," answered Gabriella. "I met up with a different old..." Gabriella paused slightly before continuing. "Um, friend, over the weekend, so I decided to get caught up with everyone."

"Old friend, huh?" smirked Jessyca. "Or old significant other?"

Gabriella grinned back but didn't answer.

The next morning, Gabriella got up, once again, at seven. She grabbed some clothes, her makeup bag, and shoes and padded barefoot down the hall to the bathroom, which was more active on school mornings.

Gabriella didn't shower in the morning on weekdays, as it always took too long to get a shower and her hair took too long to dry, so she just brushed her teeth, washed her face, applied some makeup, and then got dressed and put on her shoes.

As per usual, Gabriella hailed a taxi from school to get her usual latte at Starbucks. Her eyes caught sight of the same type of muffin that Troy had eaten the day before. Grinning slightly, Gabriella bought one of those too.

She sat down to eat her muffin before heading back to school, since she still had a half an hour until her first class, when her phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag, wondering who would be calling her this early in the morning. But she wasn't expecting to see Troy's picture flashing across the screen (which looked strange, since he looked so much younger in that picture). Her mouth dropped open. Why was Troy calling her?

She pressed the call button and put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Gabriella! You pumped for school this morning?" asked Troy energetically on the other line.

Gabriella laughed. "Troy, why are you calling me?"

"What, you sleep in my bed but I can't talk to you anymore?" He pretended to pout. "Are you in Jeremiah in the middle of something?"

"Nah," shrugged Gabriella. "Just wondering."

"Well, guess where I am?" asked Troy.

"Where?" inquired Gabriella, taking a bite out of the muffin.

"Guess!" cried Troy.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. _He's acting like he's seven,_ she thought. "Um, your apartment."

"No!"

"Then where?"

"Starbucks!"

Gabriella blinked. "Really? Me too."

"Well, I know you're there," said Troy. "You told me you go there every morning."

Giggling, she said, "You remembered, huh?"

"I remember everything you say," said Troy offhandedly. Gabriella blushed, even though he couldn't see her. "And I'm eating one of those muffins again."

"Me too!" exclaimed Gabriella again, laughing some more. "Wow, how weird is that?"

Troy laughed too. Gabriella looked up at the clock in Starbucks and saw that it was 8:10. "Sorry Troy, but I gotta go. I have a class in twenty minutes."

"Same here," said Troy with a full mouth. "What time can I call you later?"

"Um," said Gabriella, taken off guard. He was going to call her _again?_ "How about around noon?"

"Great!" said Troy enthusiastically. "Well, talk to you then. Bye."

"Bye," As soon as Gabriella pressed the End button, it started ringing again. Looking at it perplexedly as she stood up to leave, the number flashed 'Jeremiah'. "Hello?" she picked up.

"Hey sweetie," cooed Jeremiah over the phone. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Um, okay," said Gabriella, confused. Jeremiah never called her in the morning. His first class was at nine, so he usually wasn't awake before 8:30. Cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder, she grabbed the bag with her muffin and her latte, and left the café, waving to catch a cab. She climbed into it and started to eat again, waiting for Jeremiah to start.

"I wanted to apologize about my behavior," he said finally. "I've been terrible. If you don't like being called Gabi, then I shouldn't call you Gabi. Next time, if we go to an out of town basketball game and you wanna head back to school, I'll drive you back. And the joke I made about putting up with you was uncalled for. I'm really sorry, Gabriella, and I hope you can forgive me."

Gabriella's mouth dropped open, a piece of muffin sitting in her mouth. Jeremiah, _apologizing?_ He'd never apologized to her about anything before. She didn't know what had gotten into him.

"Of course I forgive you, Jeremiah," said Gabriella earnestly.

"Oh, good," sighed Jeremiah out of relief. "You know, I got back to my room last night and I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about you. I kept thinking about how inconsiderate I was being of your feelings. I feel ashamed."

Gabriella smiled slightly. "Don't worry about it."

"Alright, well, you have a class in fifteen minutes, so I better let you go now," said Jeremiah. "Bye, honey. I love you."

The taxi pulled to a stop in front of the school. Hesitating only for a couple seconds, Gabriella said, "I love you, too," before hanging up.

She paid the driver and got out of the car, slowly walking to her English class. She threw away the bag that had held her now-ingested muffin and thought. She'd just said 'I love you' to Jeremiah. Finally. What had made her do it? What had changed?

Was it his heartfelt apology? Was it the fact that meeting Troy had made her realize that she really did love Jeremiah? Was she trying to prove to Troy that she really did love Jeremiah?

Was she trying to prove it to herself?


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Thanks, once again, for all the lovely reviews. Sometimes it's just so fun to torture readers. :)

1 week till my birthday!

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 6_

The week passed by very quickly for Gabriella, and she couldn't believe how much had changed from the week before. Jeremiah had been magically transformed into a loving and caring boyfriend. She now enjoyed looking into his deep, emerald green eyes and admiring his tan skin and brown hair. He'd stopped calling her Gabi, he called her all the time, and he'd started accompanying her to Starbucks every morning, even if he didn't eat anything. That all made Gabriella happy, and soon she didn't start doubting herself when she said 'I love you' to him.

But that's not all that had changed. Taylor and Sharpay called her every night that week, and it seemed as though they'd told everyone what had happened. She'd spoken to Chad and Zeke briefly a couple times, Kelsi and Ryan had called twice, and Jason once, all to tell her than they were happy to hear from her again and they hoped to see her soon. But Troy called the most. He called her every day at lunch, after her last class, and before she went to bed. Gabriella enjoyed it, even though she didn't feel comfortable talking to him in front of Jeremiah and had requested her not call in the mornings any more.

On Friday night, when Gabriella was just getting back from classes to drop off her bag before going out to dinner with Jeremiah – he'd decided to bail on his friends to go out with her – when her phone went off. She answered it without checking the Caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey Gabriella," said Taylor.

"Oh, hi. What's up?"

"Nothing," said Taylor. "So listen. Troy told you about our monthly gathering things, right?"

"Yeah," said Gabriella. "Why?"

"Well, we're having one this weekend. Do you wanna come?"

"Um, well, I don't know," Gabriella said uneasily. "I mean, you guys all go to school in Southern California, which is a pretty long drive and I don't have a car, and I can't really afford to fly-,"

"Well, Jeremiah's invited too, you know," said Taylor. "Can he drive you?"

"Um, he's busy this weekend," lied Gabriella. Even though they had a stronger relationship, she didn't want Jeremiah to hang out with her and her old friends just yet.

"Okay, well, we had a feeling he would be," Taylor said. "So we formed a plan."

"Huh?"

"You remember how Ryan and Sharpay's parents commute to different states for their jobs? Like, a lot?" asked Taylor.

"Mhm," recalled Gabriella. "So?"

"Well, it would be a bit pricey for us to fly out to see each other once, sometimes twice, a month," stated Taylor. "So Ryan and Sharpay's parents let us use their frequent flyer miles, and, lemme tell you, they have a _lot_."

"Really?" asked Gabriella. "They let you use them?"

"Yeah," said Taylor, as if it were no big deal. "Ryan and Sharpay are rich, their parents don't care about paying for plane tickets."

"Oh, well, okay," said Gabriella. "So how am I going to get my ticket? You gonna mail it overnight?" she joked, grinning.

"Well, no," said Taylor. "Troy said he'd fly down to San Fran and give you your miles and then you two would fly down to San Luis Obispo together."

"San Luis Obispo?"

"Yeah, we're going to visit Kelsi and Ryan. It's really nice there this time of year. So what do you say? Is that alright?"

Gabriella shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," She wondered why Troy was willing to fly down to see her, just to give her her miles. She figured that if they'd been planning this for a while, they could've just mailed it.

"Great!" squealed Taylor. "Troy already bought his ticket. His plane there lands at around 7:30a.m., and the flight to San Luis is at 9."

"Did you guys already buy my ticket?"

"Yeah. But we took it out of your share of frequent flyer miles." Taylor laughed.

"And when will I be coming back? Did you guys already buy my ticket home?"

"No, but we're all shooting to fly back around 5, so even if it's delayed we'll have time to get home and to bed early. Well, we'll see you then. Don't forget a bathing suit!"

"Bathing suit?" asked Gabriella. "It's only March!"

"But it's always warm in San Luis Obispo," explained Taylor. "Pretty much 70 degrees, all year round. Now that I think about it, don't just pack your bathing suit, but summer clothes too." she paused. "And some pants and a jacket too, I guess, since it gets cold at night. See you tomorrow!" and then she hung up.

Gabriella woke up the next morning an hour earlier than usual since she still had to pack. She hadn't had time to pack night before since, after she and Jeremiah had had dinner, he'd surprised her with a huge picnic dessert at Golden Gate Park, and they hadn't gotten back until very late. Yawning, Gabriella actually wished she could have a few more hours of sleep, but she really needed to shower and pack, and besides, she could sleep on the plane.

She sat up groggily and stretched. Blinking in the darkness, she saw that Jessyca was actually there, sprawled on the bed with her mouth open. Gabriella smiled slightly at the amusing sight before stumbling out of her own bed towards her dresser.

Gabriella stared at her clothes, trying to think of something to wear. _These jeans are a little tight... I wonder if Troy would notice..._ Gabriella's eyes widened in shock. Why did she care so much about what Troy thought? Quickly, she dressed herself in jeans and a pink shirt. She lugged her suitcase out from under her bed and threw in half of her wardrobe.

She went to the bathroom to comb her hair before braiding it into pigtails, washed her face, brushed her teeth, and did her makeup. Then she threw that into her suitcase. She put her phone, wallet, iPod, and a pack of gum into her purse and then dug through her drawers before finding her abandoned-since-summer sunglasses to put into her purse too. It was now 6:30; she had to get to the airport by 7 to check in, so there was no time to get Starbucks. As she wrote a note to Jessyca, explaining where she was going for the weekend, she prayed that their was a Starbucks at the airport. All those times she'd been to the airport she'd never noticed whether or not there was one – she'd always had some before she got there.

Dragging her suitcase behind her out to the front of the school, Gabriella shivered in the cold. She hadn't thought about wearing her jacket out with her, and now she was freezing in her t-shirt. She walked out to the front to the front of the school and hailed a taxi to take her to the airport.

Luckily there wasn't much traffic, so she reached the airport by 6:50. It was only when she got into the airport that she realized that Troy was bringing her ticket for her, she she couldn't check in or go through security.

"Ughh," she groaned in annoyance. She sat down on a bench outside and closed her eyes for a couple seconds, but had to open them because she knew she was going to fall asleep. Checking her phone, she saw it was only 6:55. She had time to take a taxi to the nearest Starbucks and be back by 7:30 to meet Troy so she could get her ticket.

Gabriella went outside, hailed yet another taxi after five minutes of trying, and asked him to drive her to the nearest Starbucks, which, unfortunately, was ten minutes away. She begged the driver to wait for her while she quickly went inside, ordered her usual latte and what was now her usual muffin and hurried back into the taxi to go back to the airport. It was a few minutes before 7:30, so Gabriella figured she was back on time when her phone rang as she was emerging from the taxi.

"Hey, are you here yet?" asked Troy when she answered.

"Yeah," panted Gabriella as she jogged into the airport. "You're already waiting for me? I thought your flight didn't get in until 7:30."

"Well, amazingly, our flight was early," laughed Troy. "I just got here."

"And I see you," smiled Gabriella, hanging up the phone. She took a long sip of her latte, feeling much more awake than she had a half an hour ago, and strode toward Troy, who'd hung up also and was looking around for her.

Finally, he spotted her when she was just a few feet away and she saw his face light up. "Hey!" he smiled, giving her a brief hug. "I'll take that," Troy grabbed the suitcase from her hands and wheeled it behind him. "Oh, and this is yours." He pulled a plane ticket from his back pants pocket and handed it to her. "9:30 flight to San Luis Obispo."

"Thanks," she grinned, taking the ticket from him.

They checked in and went through the security. After a few minutes of Gabriella drinking her coffee and eating her muffin, Troy said, "So. Are you excited to see everyone again?"

Gabriella sighed. "Well, kinda. More nervous, I think."

"Why nervous?"

"Well," Gabriella paused, trying to find the right words. "It is sorta my fault for not keeping in touch with you guys; you know, for not calling."

"They're not gonna be mad at you," Troy assured her.

"Oh, well, I know that," said Gabriella quickly. "I mean, I've talked to them all at least once. It just might be a little awkward at first. I might feel like I'm intruding, since I'm the new one in the group."

"The new one?" scoffed Troy. "You _started_ the group. You've just been taking a break for a few years."

Gabriella giggled. Troy gave her a side glance and then lunged for her bag with the muffin. She yelped loudly and jumped back. "What are you doing?" she cried, starting to laugh. Troy grabbed the bag from her hands and pulled out the rest of the muffin, jamming the rest of it into his mouth. "Hey!" said Gabriella, hitting his shoulder. "I wasn't done with that yet!"

Troy just grinned, chewing greedily.

"You so owe me another!"

Troy swallowed and said, "Alright, alright, fine. We'll split another."

Gabriella smiled. "And _you_ can pay." she joked.

"I know," Troy grinned again.

After a few silent minutes of walking to find a Starbucks, Gabriella said, "Uh, you know I was kidding, right?"

"About...?" prodded Troy.

"About the paying. I'll pay."

"No, no, I ate your muffin, so I'll buy you another." protested Troy.

"No-," argued Gabriella, cursing herself for having joked about that.

"Gabriella, chill," said Troy. "Your politeness comes into play too much. I'll pay."

"Fine, fine," sighed Gabriella.

Troy smiled at her. "Come on, do you and Jeremiah get in a big discussion about who's going to pay every time you guys go to dinner?"

"No," said Gabriella, smiling now. "We split the check."

"Really? Well, that's nice," said Troy.

"What?" said Gabriella, stopping from the tone in his voice. "Is that so wrong? You know, you and I always split the check."

"I know!" said Troy, turning around and throwing his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean anything by that."

Gabriella narrowed her eyes and took a few steps toward him. "You seem to take every opportunity to put Jeremiah down. Why do you do that?"

"I don't!" said Troy in an unconvincing voice.

"Yes, you do," corrected Gabriella. "It's starting to bother me."

Troy sighed. "It's just-," Troy stopped, and then started again, "Something about him just doesn't sit well with me. I can't explain it. But I am truly sorry, and I promise to stop. So," he smiled, trying to get her in a good mood again. "Still want that muffin?"

"Um... not really," shrugged Gabriella. "I'm not too hungry anyway."

"Oh, well, alright," said Troy. Gabriella could hear in his voice that he was upset that he'd ruined the happiness.

"We should just go and find the gate," said Gabriella quietly as they started walking again.

They walked along in silence for a long time, looking for the gate. When they found it, they sat side-by-side, not talking, until Troy pulled out a book and started reading. Gabriella looked over at him in surprise.

Troy glanced at her. "What?"

"You're reading?" she smiled a little, pointing at the thick book.

"Oh," Troy let out a laugh. "Yeah. It's for my English class."

"Ah, of course," grinned Gabriella as she pulled out her phone to check the time. 8:15. "There's always a reason why."

"Well, this _is_ an interesting book," confessed Troy. "I like reading it. But, yes, I admit it, I wouldn't have read it if I hadn't been assigned to."

Gabriella laughed. They settled back into silence as Troy continued to read and as Gabriella took out her iPod, draining her coffee cup.

They sat that way for the next half an hour, listening to music and reading, sometimes glancing up to look at each other. A couple times they met each other's eyes before blushing and looking back to the ground. It was kinda fun, non-verbally flirting with Troy, until her phone rang and reminded her that she had a boyfriend.

"Hey, Jeremiah!"

"Hey, baby," said Jeremiah over the phone. "I wanted to talk to you before your flight. What time does it leave?"

"Well, it's supposed to be nine, but of course it's delayed," sighed Gabriella, looking over at the flight information projected behind the flight attendance desk.

"Aw, I'm sorry, honey," cooed Jeremiah. Gabriella giggled. She saw, out of the corner of her eye, Troy look up from his book to stare at her. "Well, have a safe flight. Call me later."

"I will," she promise.

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too,"

"Bye baby,"

"Bye," Gabriella pressed the end button on her phone and stuck it back into her purse, her cheeks starting to burn up from Troy's starting. Finally she turned to face him and said, "What?"

"So, you say 'I love you' to him now?" Troy smiled, as if happy for them. "Congratulations."

Gabriella raised an eyebrow. "Congratulations? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" said Troy quickly. "Nothing at all. I'm just happy for you. You know, that you were able to find someone that you truly care about and who respects and cares about you."

Taken aback, she answered, "Oh. Um, well, thanks." She put her iPod headphones back into her ears and turned the music back on. She was aware that Troy watched her for a while longer before turning back to his book, but noticed that he wasn't turning the pages anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** Yay, an update! You should be happy, I never update this much. Well, that might be because this story is already completed. But oh well.

I'm brainstorming yet another HSM story. I'll let you know if I decide to write it!

Read! Review! And someone please criticize me. I mean, your reviews give me the impression that my writing has no flaws, which I _know_ it does. So if you see any errors, even something like a misspelled word or grammar mistake, please let me know.

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 7_

The plane ride down to San Luis was very tense. Gabriella and Troy didn't talk much; the only time they did was just idle chit-chat, but they didn't actually talk about anything. Gabriella felt bad about how she was always getting annoyed with Troy. _No, he's the one that's being degrading about mine and Jeremiah's relationship,_ Gabriella told herself firmly. _It's not my fault._

Finally, after an awkward, two-hour flight, the plane landed and Troy and Gabriella left the plane.

Troy had again insisted that he wheel Gabriella's luggage, being the gentleman he was. "Um, do you have any luggage?" asked Gabriella, eyeing the small duffel bag slung over Troy's shoulder.

"Yeah, we need to get it," Troy glanced at her. He saw where she was looking and laughed. "What, you think this is all I'd need?"

"Well, you are a boy," smirked Gabriella.

Troy grinned back and didn't answer. They went to the luggage retrieval and, after a few moments, Troy found his suitcase. As his also had wheels, Gabriella refused to let him wheel hers, so, each pulling their own suitcases, they stepped out of the airport.

"Wow, it's beautiful here," breathed Gabriella, looking around. The sun was shining and a warm breeze was hitting them. Gabriella closed her eyes and breathed in. She could definitely get used to living here. Maybe when she and Troy married they could live here.

_Oh, my God!_ screamed Gabriella to herself. _I did _not _just think that... I meant when me and Jeremiah get married._

"Where's everyone else?" wondered Gabriella out loud, trying to clear her mind.

"Don't know," said Troy, looking around.

"So, um, how are we going to get to Kelsi and Ryan's place?" asked Gabriella. And then another thought struck her. "Where are we going to sleep tonight?"

"Kelsi and Ryan have an apartment," explained Troy.

"Do Jason and his girlfriend have an apartment?" asked Gabriella.

"Yes. Oh, and for future reference, her name is Brooke," grinned Troy.

Gabriella nodded. So, she was the only one who still lived in the dorm. Great.

"We all usually just crash on the couch or the floor," continued Troy.

"Fun," muttered Gabriella absently, glancing around some more. "Anyway, how are we getting there?"

"Well, usually whoever's apartment we're going to would take us," said Troy. "But it doesn't look like Kelsi and Ryan are here. Or they took everyone else already."

"They forgot about us?" asked Gabriella indignantly.

"No, they just thought we were getting here later than we did," said Troy patiently. "They probably took Sharpay, Zeke, Taylor, and Chad to their place and are coming back for us."

"What about Jason and Brooke?"

"They drove. Santa Barbara is about three hours away from here."

"Oh,"

They stood next to each other silently, looking around for a familiar face. After a moment, Gabriella said, "Why don't you just call them?"

"There's no need to," smiled Troy, pointing. "There's Ryan." Gabriella looked over to where he was pointing and saw Ryan sitting in the driver's seat of a red BMW, waving over to them frantically. He had a huge smile on his face, probably from seeing Gabriella again after so long.

"Come on!" said Troy, grabbing her hand with one of his own while wheeling his suitcase behind him. They maneuvered themselves from in between the parked cars waiting to drop off or pick up others before reaching Ryan's car. Troy opened the trunk and stored his and Gabriella's suitcases inside of it while Gabriella opened the back door and climbed into the backseat.

"Hey Ryan! It's so great to see you!" exclaimed Gabriella, no longer nervous and just plain excited.

"Gabriella!" cried Ryan, twisting in his seat to give her a quick hug. "It's been way too long."

"Yes, it has," agreed Gabriella.

Troy opened the passenger door and seat himself in the front seat. "Ready to go?"

"Yup," answered Ryan, starting to move.

There was a few minutes of silence as Ryan maneuvered his car through the others to leave the airport. Finally, Gabriella, "So. Where's Kelsi?"

"She's at our apartment," answered Ryan. "We picked up Taylor, Chad, Sharpay, and Zeke about an hour ago."

"You were right," said Gabriella, grinning, to Troy. "So I guess Jason and Brooke haven't arrived yet?"

"Nope,"

Another silence. "So how long have you and Kelsi been dating for?" asked Gabriella.

"We started dating in May, right before graduation, so about a year and a half," said Ryan. "It was cool, because we knew we were both going to Cal Poly."

Gabriella nodded. "It's gorgeous here," she remarked as she looked out the window. "Is it always warm here?"

"Yup, pretty much all year long," Ryan told her.

"So I bet you guys get to go to the beach all the time," smiled Gabriella.

Ryan laughed. "Yeah, almost every weekend. It's awesome."

After a few more minutes of driving, they reached an apartment complex.

"Well, here we are," said Ryan, entering the complex and driving around a little before parking.

"Wow, these apartments are beautiful," said Gabriella earnestly, and then laughed. "_Everything_ here in beautiful."

"Yeah, Kelsi and I love it," said Ryan as he led Troy and Gabriella up a couple flights of stairs before leading them into one of the doors.

"Honey, I'm home," called Ryan jokingly through the apartment after he'd let them in and closed the door behind them.

This apartment was pretty big too. They were standing in the entryway, and to their right was a medium-sized kitchen. In front of the kitchen was a large living room, with two couches that had been pulled into beds with suitcases piled on top of them. To their left was a hallway with five doors leading into various rooms.

Out of one of the doors came Taylor, Sharpay, and Kelsi, all running towards them. "Gabriella!" they all squealed in unison as they engulfed her in a huge embrace.

Laughing, Gabriella hugged them back. "It's great to see you guys too!" She looked over their shoulders to see Chad and Zeke standing there, grinning widely.

"Hey Gabriella," they said together.

"Hi guys," she smiled as the three girls untangled themselves from each other.

"I can't believe you're here!" exclaimed Taylor.

"We've been so excited!" Sharpay said earnestly.

"It's _great_ so see you," agreed Kelsi.

"I feel the same," laughed Gabriella. Studying each girl more closely, she saw how much they'd changed. Taylor had been pretty in high school, but now she was beautiful. She only wore a little bit of makeup, if any, but she didn't need it. Her hair was no longer pushed back in a headband, but hung down her back, silky straight.

Kelsi's hair had grown a lot since Gabriella had last seen her, almost six inches. It wasn't straight anymore, but curly, and she had side bangs. Also, she'd gotten contacts and she seemed to have much more confidence.

Sharpay, of course, had always been gorgeous. Now, however, she actually looked the age she was dressing. Everything about her was pretty much the same, except for the length of her hair, which had grown a little – and, of course, the pink diamond on her left hand.

"Wow, is this it?" gasped Gabriella, reaching for Sharpay's hand to examine the ring closer. It was absolutely magnificent – just the kind of ring Sharpay probably always wanted.

"Oh, yeah," Sharpay let out an off-hand laugh, but Gabriella knew it was an act.

"It's beautiful," smiled Gabriella, letting go of her hand.

"Thanks," Sharpay smiled back.

Chad side stepped the girls and pulled Gabriella into a hug. "It's good to have you back, Gabriella," he said honestly into her hair.

They pulled away and Gabriella said, "It's good to be back."

After a quick hug with Zeke, Kelsi said, "Here, we'll give you a little tour."

"Sounds great."

Kelsi pointed to the kitchen. "That's our kitchen-," and then she pointed to the living room. "-and that's the living room, where Taylor, Chad, Jason, and Brooke will be sleeping. Hey, we're halfway done!"

Gabriella laughed. Kelsi pulled her down the hall alone, as everyone else had already been to the apartment and didn't need a tour. There were three plain white doors on the left wall, and two matching doors on the right wall. She opened the first door on the left and Gabriella peered into it. It was a small little bedroom. "This is where Sharpay and Zeke are staying." Gabriella nodded as Kelsi pulled her to the next room, where everyone had emerged from a few minutes earlier. "This is mine and Ryan's room." It was a large bedroom, with an open door than led to an adjoining bathroom. "And here is where you and Troy will be staying." Gabriella felt her cheeks heat up as she saw that there was only one bed. She couldn't help but think that this had been planned somehow.

"Um, where do these two doors lead to?" asked Gabriella, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

"Oh, this one is the laundry room," said Kelsi, opening up the closest door. "And here's a second bathroom." She opened up the last door. Then she laughed. "All eight of you will be sharing this bathroom."

Gabriella made a face. "You and Ryan can't share yours?" she joked, laughing.

Kelsi laughed too. "Maybe if you're extra nice." The two girls giggled.

"Hey, are you two done over there?" called Ryan. "We need to plan our day."

Gabriella and Kelsi looked at each other and rolled their eyes playfully. "Coming!" Kelsi yelled back in fake exasperation. The two girls approached the rest of their friends.

"Um, shouldn't we wait until Jason and Brooke get here?" said Taylor.

"No need!" said a voice from outside. There was a knock and Ryan, being closest to the door, opened it to reveal a much older and mature looking Jason and an extremely attractive redhead, green-eyed girl with exceptionally white teeth standing there wish their bags.

We stood back to let them in, and, after they'd put their stuff in the living room, Jason cried, "Gabriella!" before rushing over to hug her.

"Nice to see you too, Jason," grinned Gabriella as they broke apart. "You look great!"

"As do you," grinned Jason. "Oh, and this is Brooke, my girlfriend."

"It's very nice to meet you," said Brooke in a thick Australian accent, holding out her hand. "I've heard so much about you from Jason."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," said Gabriella politely as they shook hands.

"Alright, great," Ryan clapped his hands together. "It's only like, noon, so we have an entire day ahead of us. What should we do?"

Troy spoke up. "I think we should like Gabriella pick what to do, since we haven't hung out with her in three and a half years."

Everyone muttered words of agreement to this statement, but Gabriella said quickly, "Oh, no, it's okay. I'm fine with anything."

"No," protested Chad. "Troy's right, you pick."

"But I really don't-,"

"Come on, Gabriella, we're wasting time!" said Sharpay loudly.

Gabriella sighed in defeat. "Um, well, okay. I don't know what you guys usually do, but... well, I'd kinda like to go to the beach."

"Done!" said Zeke. "Alright you guys, let's get ready." Zeke grabbed Sharpay's hand and dragged her to their room.

"That might take a while," warned Taylor. "I mean, we all have to share a bathroom."

"We can just strip right here!" said Brooke enthusiastically, pulling her shirt over her head. Gabriella looked away quickly, but obviously Brooke was always this outgoing, since no one else batted an eye.

"She takes some getting used to," muttered Troy in her ear.

Gabriella looked up at him and grinned sheepishly. "I guess."

"You can use the room first," he offered. "It won't take me very long to get ready."

She beamed up at him. "Thanks!" she said and grabbed her suitcase, wheeling it behind her into their room.

Once she was inside the room and had closed the door, she put her suitcase on the double bed that she would be sharing with Troy that night – her face heated up at the very thought – and picked out a pink and white-polka-dotted bathing suit she'd bought at the end of the last summer but had never had a chance to wear and slipped is on. Then she pulled a short, white halter-top sundress she'd also bought last summer but had never worn, and then stuck her feet into a pair of white rubber flip flops.

She opened the door to see if the bathroom was occupied and was not surprised to find that it was. Gabriella looked around the room for a mirror but couldn't find one. Finally she stepped into the walk-in closet and was relieved to see a full-length mirror behind the door. She examined herself, fixing her curly, braided hair quickly, and noticed all too late that her mascara wasn't water proof. She used makeup remover and a couple of tissues from the night stand to take off the mascara before applying some water proof. Gabriella smeared another coat of her lip gloss and looked at herself in the mirror again. Done.

She flip-flopped out of the room after packing her beach bag with spare clothes, underwear, a bra, towel, her iPod, phone, gum, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a book, in case she got bored, and went into the living room where the guys were sitting on one of the pull-out beds.

"Finished already?" asked Troy, surprised.

"Yup," There was no room on the bed they were all on so she situated herself on the other one, all alone. "So you can use the room now."

Ryan and Zeke were the only guys to have changed, while Chad, Jason, and Troy hadn't.

As Troy left to go change, Ryan stated, "Wow, that was pretty fast."

"Huh?"

"It didn't take you that long to change," he clarified.

"Oh," Gabriella shrugged. "It never takes me long to get ready for the beach."

"You know," said Chad thoughtfully. "Taylor might be a nerd, majoring in Chemistry and all, but it takes her as long as it takes Sharpay to get ready to go out."

They all laughed.

"Well, it takes me a long time," explained Gabriella. "But not for the beach. I mean, we're going swimming, so we're gonna look like shit anyway."

"True," said Zeke. "I wish Sharpay would realize that."

Troy padded back into the living room, wearing a pair of orange and yellow fire-print swim shorts and an orange Hollister shirt, with black sandals.

"I like the bathing suit," smirked Gabriella.

But before Troy had a chance to answer, Gabriella's cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her bag to answer it while Chad and Jason dug through their suitcases for bathing suits before shuffling off to find a spot to change.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby! You make it alright?"

"Hey, Jeremiah," said Gabriella happily. "Yeah, everything's good."

"That's great. Why didn't you call me earlier?" His tone suddenly became accusatory.

"What?"

"You said you'd call me later, remember? Before your flight?"

"Oh," said Gabriella, remembering that comment. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot."

"So you forgot about me, huh?" said Jeremiah angrily.

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. "No, it's not like that! Everything is just really hectic. I mean, I was just reunited with friends I haven't seen in over three years and now we're all getting ready to go to the beach-,"

"The beach?" exclaimed Jeremiah, as though he'd never heard of anything quite ridiculous before in his life. "But you're not wearing a bathing suit, are you?"

She paused. "Um, well, that's what most people wear to the beach." She was uncomfortably aware that Ryan, Troy, and Zeke were all listening closely to her side of the conversation.

"I don't want all of those _guy friends_ of yours seeing you in a bathing suit!" said Jeremiah furiously.

Gabriella's mouth dropped open. "Jeremiah, they're my friends! They're not checking me out, or whatever!" She blushed at the comment.

"That doesn't mean they aren't attracted to you," he pointed out.

"Well, if they do, that doesn't mean I am to them!" she said, hoping that the guys didn't know what she was talking about. _I don't want Troy to get upset... wait, what!_

"What if they attack you tonight, or something?" spat Jeremiah.

"Jeremiah, will you get a grip? They're not going to _attack_ me!" cried Gabriella. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing! _You're_ just being impossible!" shouted Jeremiah. And then he hung up.

Gabriella's mouth hung open. What was going on with him? She removed the phone from her ear and pressed End. Was he popping pills, or what?

There was a small, awkward silence aside from the movement in the hallway beyond.

"Um. What was that about?" asked Ryan uncomfortably.

Gabriella shook her head furiously. "Nothing," she said angrily, as her eyes filled up with tears. Did Jeremiah not trust her? "Uh, I'll be right back." she said quickly, getting up and crossing the distance from her to the front door as fast as she could without alarming them. She opened the door and stepped over the threshold, nearly slamming the door behind her.

She took a deep, shaking breath and slid slowly down the wall next to the door. She was sort of worried about Jeremiah. What was with his sudden mood swings? It seemed as though his personality was constantly changing. When they'd first started going out, he'd been the perfect boyfriend. Then he became a distant boyfriend. Then a good boyfriend. Everything had kept rotating for the entire six months of their relationship. And now he was being an overprotective boyfriend?

Gabriella realized she really didn't know that much about Jeremiah. She'd never met his family; she just knew his mother was dead, he was an only child, and his father worked on a farm in Indiana. But she'd never been invited to meet him before.

She was half-worried that he was doing drugs, or gambling, or something along those lines, that caused these constant mood swings. She didn't want to believe it, but his sudden change from her-dream-guy-to-overprotective-boyfriend in just three hours was very suspicious.

Next to Gabriella, the front door opened and Troy poked his head out. "Gabriella? Are you okay?"

Gabriella had managed to control most of her tears while she was out there, but a couple had escaped. She quickly wiped them from under her eyes before smiling up at Troy. "Yeah. I'm great."

Even so, Troy stepped outside, closed the door, and sat down next to her. "What happened?" he asked, sounding like he was genuinely interested.

"Nothing happened," Gabriella tried to convince him in a cheery voice.

He narrowed his eyes at her, making Gabriella sigh. "Okay, yes, something happened..."

"Care to tell me what?" he prodded.

Gabriella hesitated. "Well, Jeremiah has a lot of mood swings. For a while, he'll be an uninterested boyfriend, and then he'll be a great boyfriend, and now he's suddenly an overprotective boyfriend. I don't understand it, and I'm starting to worry."

Troy nodded understandingly. "I see. Was he being overprotective on the phone just now?"

Gabriella nodded. Then she laughed a little. "As if you couldn't tell from what I was saying."

He smiled a little. "Yeah, but I'd thought I'd ask anyway."

Nodding, she said, "Yeah, he thought you guys would check me out if I went to the beach with a bathing suit, and then he thought you guys would attack me." She shook her head in disbelief. "I mean, just this week he was being the perfect boyfriend. I don't understand it."

"Maybe he's just worried," said Troy soothingly. "I'd be worried if my beautiful girlfriend went to stay at a place with five college guys in it, even if they were just her friends."

_There he goes again with the compliments,_ thought Gabriella bitterly. But this time, she decided, she wasn't going to get mad. Troy wasn't _hitting_ on her or anything, he was just being friendly and trying to cheer her up. _And stick up for Jeremiah,_ she suddenly realized. So instead she just smiled at him and said, "Thanks."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Four more chapters left! Awwww. But they're all pretty long, so it's all good.

You know, something I noticed is in this HSM story and _Time Will Tell_, people are confused about the shipping. They're not sure if it's Troyella or not. Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not here to reassure you about anything, I just felt like pointing that out. )

And, if you read the summary for my new HSM story on my bio, you'll see that it may not be Troyella either. Hmmmm, just what exactly does MadiWillow ship? Who knows. But I'm not one of those people to put the ship in the summary – I mean, I like it when people do so I know which stories to avoid – but then it seems like there's no point to the story. It's like, oh I know they're together, I won't waste my time reading it.

Oh, and, um, please read and review my story _Basketball Superstar's Diary_, because it's gotten like 3 reviews for it's latest chapter. Pleaseee?

Okay, enough of my rambling. My birthday's in three days, and here's the next chapter!

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 8_

They all stumbled into Ryan and Kelsi's apartment at around five in the afternoon, after the beach trip. They'd had a great time – for the first hour or so, the girls had sunbathed while the guys had gone swimming, going out so far that the girls couldn't even see them. Then, since the girls felt like they were fried from sitting out in the sun for so long, they'd gone in the water a little.

Not very deep though – just knee deep. Then the guys had come back and started splashing them, daring them to get in the water. Sharpay had screamed and ran out when Zeke tried splashing her, but Gabriella had decided to go in anyway. She'd run out, splashing water with her legs, and dived in. The cold water had felt so good on her burning skin. She surfaced a little ways away form the group, who were all cheering. Troy had then swum out to her and suggested they swim out together. She'd said yes, so they'd ended up swimming out so far that they could barely see the beach anymore before they'd turned back.

When they got back to the beach, they started a game a beach volleyball with the other college kids that were there. One of the guys there had tried hitting on Sharpay, but he'd learned his lesson after Zeke was through with him.

"Let's go dancing!" exclaimed Sharpay as soon as they'd entered the apartment. This was met with excited squeals from the girls, excluding Gabriella, and groans from the guys. "Again?" asked Chad. "We did that last time."

"We're going to a club," said Taylor warningly to Chad.

Chad sighed. "Fine."

All the four girls quickly scrambled to their rooms or the bathroom with their clothes, makeup, and hair products while Gabriella stayed rooted on the spot. "Dancing?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Yeah," Troy answered her as Zeke, Ryan, Chad, and Jason went to their rooms/suitcases to find something to wear. "What, you don't like dancing?" he asked teasingly.

Gabriella looked at him. "You know me well enough to know that, no!"

Troy laughed. "I know," he shrugged. "But you might as well come, right? Maybe you'll end up liking it."

"Maybe," said Gabriella skeptically.

"You can use the room first," he offered, grinning.

She smiled at him. "Thanks."

She went down the hall, past Taylor and Brooke who both changing and getting ready in the bathroom towards her and Troy's room. She dug through her suitcase but couldn't decide what to wear. She'd never been to a club before, and she didn't really know how to dress for one. She decided on her tightest pair of jeans and a low-cut white shirt. Looking at herself in the mirror, she frowned. She didn't really look like herself.

She dug through the shoe section of her large suitcase and found a pair of high heels she'd decided to bring at last minute. Well, actually, Jessyca had told her the night before that she _had_ to bring them, so she decided to. They were black, two inch heels with a pointy toe. She'd never worn these before, either. She didn't really _have_ a place to wear them.

Gabriella took her hair out of braids and ran a comb through it a couple times before she decided it looked fine down. She reapplied some mascara and lip gloss and was ready.

She transferred her phone, iPod, and gum into her purse with her wallet and wobbled out into the family room, where all the guys were already ready except for Troy.

"Wow," he said when he saw her. "You look great."

She blushed. "Thanks. Um, you can use the room now."

As soon as Troy had closed the bedroom door behind him, Ryan said, "So, Gabriella, what's going on with you and Troy?"

Gabriella blushed even harder. "Nothing!" she said loudly.

"Mhm," said Jason, winking at Zeke.

"Really!"

"Then why are blushing?" asked Chad teasingly.

"Because it's an uncomfortable subject!" cried Gabriella. "We used to date, and this is, like, the second time we've seen each other since our breakup three and a half years ago! It's awkward."

"It's awkward because you still like him," said Zeke knowingly.

Gabriella shook her head. "No, because I like my boyfriend."

"How do you know that instead you like Troy?" asked Ryan. "Maybe this Jeremiah guy is just a distraction."

She raised her eyebrows. "Or maybe, I really like him."

"Do you love him?"

"Yes,"

"Then why did he make you cry earlier?"

"He didn't!"

"Well, he made you run out of the apartment,"

"Look," said Gabriella impatiently. "I love Jeremiah, but sometimes he has mood swings that upset me."

"Why does he have mood swings?"

"I don't know!"

"Did Troy ever make you cry?"

Silence.

"What?"

"Did Troy ever make you cry?" repeated Ryan.

"Well, yeah..." said Gabriella, not knowing what he was getting at.

"Did he apologize right away when he made you cry?"

"He only really made me cry that one time before we got together, and he waited a couple of days,"

"But that's just because he didn't know _why_ you were upset," said Chad quickly. "But once we told him, he apologized right away, didn't he?"

"Yeah, I guess so," said Gabriella. "But, what does this-,"

"Jeremiah hasn't apologized yet, has he?"

"Well, no-,"

"So that makes me think he's not the right guy for you,"

"Will you guys please _stop?_" said Gabriella loudly, fed up. "I love Jeremiah. I don't love Troy. Troy doesn't love me. Troy and I aren't going to get together. Okay?"

They didn't answer; instead, they were looking behind her. Gabriella whipped around and came face to face with Troy.

_Oops,_ she thought. _Wait, oops what? I just stated the obvious. Troy knows I don't love him... right?_

"Oh, hey," I grinned.

"Hi," he said quietly, his eyes filled inexplicably with hurt. _Did he think we had a chance?_ Gabriella asked herself.

There was an awkward pause that was broken by Taylor, Kelsi, Sharpay, and Brooke walking into the living room, all wearing tight clothes and short skirts with heels, like Gabriella. "Ready to go?" asked Brooke in her accent.

The five guys and Gabriella nodded solemnly. However, the other girls didn't notice the tense atmosphere. They were too excited for going out.

"Should we get dinner first?" asked Taylor. "It's only, like, six."

"Sure," said Gabriella.

"Alright, I know the _perfect_ place," exclaimed Kelsi. "Me and Ryan always go there."

"Oh, that place?" said Ryan. "It's great; they have awesome burgers."

"Let's go!" squealed Sharpay, and the four girls ran out of the apartment as fast as they could in heels. Gabriella looked over at Troy again to see him looking deliberately away from her before she followed her friends.

They had to split up, because both Ryan's and Jason's cars could only fit five people each. So Jason took Brooke, Kelsi, Sharpay, and Zeke while Ryan drove Gabriella, Troy, Chad, and Taylor.

Chad, Taylor, and Ryan laughed and joked for the whole five minute car ride, but Gabriella and Troy – who had ended up being seated next to each other – remained silent. Gabriella felt really guilty. She didn't mean to make Troy upset, but still – she _was_ dating someone else, and she _did_ love him. Did he really think there was a chance of them getting back together?

So why did she feel guilty? Was it because she really _did_ want to get together with Troy? _That might be nice, but I'm with Jeremiah now,_ Gabriella told herself forcefully.

Dinner was an awkward affair. However, it did make Gabriella realize that her friends were _definitely_ trying to get her and Troy together. They made a big deal about seating, and it turned out that Gabriella sat at the end of the table, next to Troy and across from Taylor. The first thing Troy did was bury himself in his menu without saying anything.

"So, Gabriella," said Taylor. "Are you having fun so far?"

"Yeah. I'm having lots of fun!" lied Gabriella enthusiastically. She had been having fun, like at the beach – but now she wanted nothing more than to go home and get some rest. She really didn't feel like dancing, or drinking, or whatever it is that the other's had in mind.

Taylor kept trying to get both Troy and Gabriella to talk, but whenever she asked Troy something, he'd give a simple, one-word answer before turning around to talk to Jason, who was on his other side. Taylor raised her eyebrow at Gabriella, who in turn mouthed "later" to her before glancing at her menu.

The waiter came and Gabriella ordered a simple cheeseburger with a sprite before Taylor excused the two of them to the bathroom. Gabriella looked at her, confused, but Taylor grabbed her arm and practically dragged her to the ladies' room.

"So, what's going on with you and Troy?" she demanded, once they were in the bathroom. "You guys were having so much fun at the beach today, and suddenly you guys won't even talk?"

"Well, I don't know what you guys are planning," said Gabriella, slightly angry. "I mean, why are you all trying to set him and I up?"

"What? We're not," said Taylor, unconvincingly.

Gabriella let out a laugh. "Sure you are. You have us sharing a bed tonight. You made it so he and I would fly down together. We're sitting next to each other at dinner. Tonight, at the club, you all are going to be off with your boyfriends so it'll just be us stuck together." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is Troy in on this, too?"

"It's just-," Taylor started, and then hesitated. "You and Troy are perfect for each other. You may be trying to deny it, but we _know_ you guys are meant to be together. Why are you fighting it?"

"Because I don't like Troy in that way!" exclaimed Gabriella. "I love Jeremiah, and no one else!"

"Are you sure?" accused Taylor. "Ryan told Chad and I what happened on the phone before we went to the beach."

Gabriella opened her mouth in indignation. Did everyone have to know about her life? "Every couple has fights, Taylor," she said. "You can't tell me you and Chad don't fight."

"Well, we do," admitted Taylor. "But your boyfriend seems... troubled."

"Thanks," said Gabriella sarcastically.

"Look, Troy really likes you, he told us all that he still loves you and wants you back-," said Taylor.

"He told you that?" interrupted Gabriella. "He-he actually _told_ you that?"

Taylor nodded. "Yes, he did. And to answer your question, yes, he's in on this."

"Well then I'm the most horrible person ever," groaned Gabriella, leaning against the bathroom wall.

"Huh?"

"Chad, Jason, Zeke, and Ryan were grilling me about Jeremiah and Troy while the rest of your were getting ready, and I got so annoyed that I just said that I didn't love Troy and that we're not going to get together," she looked down. "And he heard."

"Oh,"

"Why do I feel so guilty about this, though?" exclaimed Gabriella in frustration. "Because I really don't love Troy. I used to, but I don't anymore. I love Jeremiah. I love Troy as a friend."

"Maybe because you're too nice, and you don't like hurting people's feelings," said Taylor quietly.

"I feel awful," whispered Gabriella.

Taylor put her arm around her friend's shoulders. "It's okay, Troy's a strong guy. He'll get over it, and accept that you guys are over, and he'll find someone." As Taylor said that last statement, Gabriella felt herself tense up. She didn't want Troy to find someone else.

Aren't we a little selfish?

The two of them left the bathroom and made their way through the other tables to their own. When they got there, Troy looked up and smiled at Gabriella. She had a suspicion that they had all been asking Troy the same thing Taylor had asked Gabriella.

"Hey guys," said Gabriella as she sat down.

"You were sure in there for a long time," said Sharpay, staring intently at Gabriella.

The two girls just smiled and didn't say anything.

The rest of dinner passed much smoother than it had started. Gabriella and Troy were talking to each other, for one thing, as well as with everyone else.

It went by quickly, and suddenly, it was 7:30 and they were getting up to go to the club.

"So, um, what's this club like?" asked Gabriella, trying to sound nonchalant, as they made their way to the cars.

"Oh, you know, lots of touchy-feely drunk people wandering around," said Troy seriously. "Make sure you're with someone at all times, or else some guy might try and take you."

Gabriella looked up at him in alarm, but instead saw a smile on his lips. "Oh, you're so mean!" she cried, hitting him on the arm.

"Ow," Troy pretended to pout, which Gabriella laugh. She caught Taylor's eye, which winked at her before entering Ryan's car. Gabriella climbed into the backseat next to Taylor, horrified to realize that she had just been flirting with Troy just an hour and a half since exclaiming that she didn't like him in that way.

"Nice," whispered Taylor, very quietly, as Troy was climbing in. Gabriella shot her a warning look, but Taylor just grinned and stayed silent.

The ride to the club was much more fun than the ride to the restaurant had been, especially since Troy and Gabriella were speaking again. They joined in on the joking and laughing, definitely having a good time.

They pulled into the parking lot of the club to see that a long line had already formed outside of it.

"Wow," said Gabriella as they parked.

"Yeah, this is the most popular club in San Luis," said Ryan as he got out. Gabriella, Taylor, Chad, and Troy got out after him. Taylor, Chad, and Troy didn't look all that impressed, so Gabriella figured they'd been so this club before. "Is it fun here?" she asked them.

Taylor nodded excitedly, Chad just shrugged, and Troy said, "Well, not really. But that's probably because whenever we come here I'm always left alone."

Gabriella giggled. They walked to the back of the line after being joined by Jason, Brooke, Kelsi, Sharpay, and Zeke, and waited.

"So, um, what is it _really _like here?" asked Gabriella.

Troy looked at her. "You've never been to a club before, have you?"

She blinked in surprise that he'd figured it out. "Well, no," she admitted.

Troy just nodded; he didn't seem to care. "Well, it's basically just a huge mob of sweaty drunk people grinding on each other," He shrugged. "It's probably fun for people who, you know, drink a lot and like to dance, but, I don't know. I guess I'm just not big on the club scene."

Nodding, Gabriella said, "Yeah, I'm probably not either."

"You and Jeremiah don't go to clubs?" he asked as they moved up in line.

"Um, no," answered Gabriella. "He goes to bars almost every week, but I never go with him."

"How come?"

"Well, I don't know," she shrugged. "Like I told you last week, drinking isn't that appealing to me."

Troy nodded his understanding.

"Are, uh, these guys big drinkers?" asked Gabriella, referring to her friends.

Troy did a half-shrug. "Kinda. Well, not _big_ drinkers but they'll probably get drunk tonight."

Smiling, Gabriella remarked, "So, I guess tomorrow we'll just be hanging around the apartment, huh?"

"I guess," said Troy. "You and I need to stay sober, because someone'll need to drive these guys home."

"Yeah," she looked over at Sharpay and Zeke, who'd started making out. "Then maybe tomorrow, while they're all in bed with huge hangovers, we can go and do something."

"Sounds like a plan," he grinned.

They moved up in line steadily for the next half hour or so, until finally they got to the door. After flashing the bouncer their I.D.'s, they entered the dark club.

"Geez," breathed Gabriella, but no one could hear her because of how loud the music was. It was turned up so loud that the place was vibrating, and the bass was a constant _thump, thump, thump_ throughout the place.

"Come on, guys!" screeched Sharpay leading them over to the bar. All of them ordered beers (they weren't carded). Kelsi passed one over to Gabriella.

"Oh, no, I'm fine," smiled Gabriella, slowly pushing the drink away.

"Come on, try it!" said Kelsi enthusiastically. Gabriella glanced at Troy, who was holding a beer but not drinking it. He gave her a half shrug.

Gabriella relented and took the beer, sipping it. It tasted awfully bitter. Trying to keep her face straight, she lowered the beer from her mouth and said "Uh, yum."

Chad and Zeke had already finished their first beers and ordered seconds. Then Sharpay, Taylor, Brooke, and Kelsi led their respective boyfriends, beers still in hand, to the dance floor.

Gabriella sighed and sat down at the bar. She stared at her barely touched beer. "Um, can you get me an apple martini?" she asked the barman.

"Sure thing," he said, disappearing to make her drink.

Troy sat down next to Gabriella and took another swig from his beer. "Having fun yet?"

"Oh, tons," she grinned. As Troy took another drink from his beer, she said, "I thought you said we weren't going to drink tonight."

Troy shrugged. "I have a high tolerance for alcohol. I can drink a beer, sometimes two, without getting buzzed." The bartender came over and placed Gabriella's apple martini on a cocktail napkin in front of her. "What about you? I thought you weren't supposed to drink?" he grinned cheekily.

Gabriella smiled back. "Well, I probably won't have another drink after this, even if I like it." She took a sip and it tasted wonderful. Much better than the beer. "Mmm." She and Troy sat in silence for a few minutes, while Troy finished his beer and Gabriella sipped her martini. "So what are we supposed to do?" sighed Gabriella, looking over at her friends. They were all dancing in the middle of the dance floor now, in a way that she never would have expected to see from Taylor or Kelsi. Every once and a while they'd put their head up and take a long chug from their beers.

Troy shrugged again. "Just talk, I guess."

"Like friends?" said Gabriella tentatively.

He looked at her for a moment before declaring, with a tiny sigh, "Like friends."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** You guys got an update a little faster this time, mostly because I'm bored. So here it is!

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 9_

Hours later, somewhere around two a.m., when Troy and Gabriella could no longer stand the dull thumping coming from the DJ booth, the two of them dragged their eight drunk, sweaty friends out to the parking lot, stuffed them into the two cars, and drove them back to Ryan and Kelsi's apartment.

They had to half-carry all of them up the stairs to the apartment, and all of them collapsed into their respective beds/rooms as soon as they stepped inside. Troy and Gabriella, however, did a little more before going to sleep, like brushing their teeth, washing their faces, and changing into sleepwear.

Gabriella went into bed and started reading for a while, situated right in the middle. It wasn't until Troy walked in the room, wearing UCLA sweats and a white wife-beater, did she remember she was sharing the bed with him.

"Oh, sorry!" she exclaimed, quickly moving over.

"No problem," Troy pulled back the covers and climbed into bed next to each her.

Gabriella read for a few more minutes, but couldn't really focus because she was so nervous. She was sharing a bed – _with Troy_. They were in a bed – _right next to each other._ Granted, they were as far away possible from each other as possible without falling off the bed, but they were still _sharing a bed._

She book marked her page and set it on the bedside table, switching off the light. She put her head on the pillow and a few seconds later Troy turned off his light too. It was completely silent, although Gabriella could hear her heart thumping. Could Troy hear it too?

After a few minutes, Troy whispered, "Gabriella? You awake?"

"Yeah," she answered softly. She turned around on her side to face Troy, to find that he was lying on his side, already facing her. She smiled.

He grinned back. "Did you have fun tonight?"

She gave a half-shrug. "It was okay. But I can still hear the music pounding in my ears."

Troy laughed a little. "Yeah me too." He paused. "It was fun talking to you though."

"Yeah," she agreed.

There was another pause, where the two of them just looked at each other. Then Troy cleared his throat nervously and said, "So, uh, have you heard from Jeremiah yet?"

Gabriella sighed. "No." After a moment, she added, "I just don't get him. Why would he act like a great boyfriend, and then act like this? It just doesn't make sense."

"Well," mused Troy. "Maybe he is a great boyfriend, and he just doesn't want to lost you to anyone."

"Maybe," said Gabriella, unconvinced.

She turned over again and after a few minutes, Troy said, "Um, you don't have to sleep on the edge of the bed. I don't bite." He chuckled.

"Oh!" exclaimed Gabriella, blushing furiously. Luckily she wasn't facing Troy, so he didn't notice. "Um, okay." She scooted more into the middle of the bed, and felt her body touch Troy's. "Sorry!"

"No, it's okay," Troy murmured.

They lay like that for a while, their bodies touching ever so slightly, before Troy slowly put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

Gabriella felt her body tense up, and Troy must've noticed, because he said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," and he released her.

"No," protested Gabriella before she could stop herself. "No, don't stop... it felt good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah..."

He put his arms around her again and pulled her against his body; Gabriella couldn't help but notice how well their bodies blended together; how well they fit together. She felt like she was lying on one of those mattresses they were always advertising on TV – the ones that fit your body to perfection.

For a few minutes before she fell asleep, Gabriella wondered what she was doing with Jeremiah. She definitely had great chemistry with Troy, and he still liked her. So why not just go out with him again?

_But I _do_ love Jeremiah,_ Gabriella thought to herself. _But I like Troy too..._

Slowly she drifted off to sleep, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up to a brightly lit room.

She blinked slowly. Troy wasn't holding her anymore; he was sitting up in bed. He grinned down at her and stretched. "Did I wake you?"

"Nope," Gabriella sat up too and yawned. She glanced at the clock. It was 9:30. "Wow, I haven't slept in this late in a long time!" she exclaimed, throwing the covers off her and stretching.

Troy laughed. "I sleep in this late every Saturday."

"That's because you're lazy," teased Gabriella.

"Hey," said Troy, feigning hurt.

"Oh, come on. Mr. UCLA Basketball Man has to have thicker skin than that!"

"Well, I don't!" said Troy, leaning over. He started tickling her in the ribs, causing her to squeal in laughter.

"Troy!" she gasped. "Stop!"

Troy stopped tickling her, laughing.

"That wasn't fair!" pouted Gabriella getting out of the bed and stretching. "I hate you now."

"Aww, no you don't," Troy smiled cheekily, "You looove me!"

"Nah," joked Gabriella. She opened her suitcase, which was at the foot of the bed, and pulled out a knee-high pink skirt, a white quarter-length-sleeved shirt, and a bra and underwear(which she hid from Troy). "I'll be right back," she told Troy after grabbing her makeup back.

She knew no one else in the apartment was awake, due to what was sure terrible hangovers, so she knew that no one would be in the bathroom.

Gabriella entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She had just been _totally_ flirting with Troy. Why couldn't she stop herself? It was just as if something was _there._

_But I love Jeremiah,_ Gabriella convinced herself silently.

She peed, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and got dressed. Then she put on a little mascara, in case she and Troy went somewhere before their flights home later that afternoon, and ran her comb once or twice through her hair. She hoped they did go somewhere; she didn't want to be stuck in an apartment with a eight hungover people, even if they were her best friends, having to be super quiet so as not to worsen their headaches.

She crossed the hall to enter the bedroom – only to find Troy was in the middle of pulling up his pants.

"Oh, my God!" cried Gabriella, fleeing from the room, horrified. "I'm so sorry, Troy!"

"Don't worry about it!" called Troy from the bedroom, sounding oddly unconcerned. She'd seen him practically _naked;_ did he not understand that?

"I should have knocked! I'm so, so sorry!"

Troy laughed. "It's okay, Gabriella. You can come in now, I'm decent."

Gabriella slowly entered the room again, to see Troy sitting on the unmade bed, now fully clothed in a pair of jeans and a white American Eagle t-shirt. He grinned.

She blushed harder than she ever had in her life and dumped her pajamas and makeup bag into her suitcase, looked anywhere but at Troy.

"Gabriella, calm down," said Troy soothingly. "It's okay. You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

Gabriella looked at him, still grinning. She smiled slightly back.

"Is anyone else awake?"

She shrugged. "Probably not."

"Let's check," he declared, leading the way out of the room and pulling her after him.

They peeked into Kelsi and Ryan's room. They saw two lumps in the bed to show that it's occupants were still passed out. They found the same thing in Sharpay and Zeke's room.

In the living room, they saw that Jason and Brooke were sleeping gracefully – Jason had his arms around Brooke, like Troy had done to Gabriella, and the covers were over them neatly – but Chad and Taylor were sprawled on their bed – They were on opposite sides, the blankets twisted haphazardly around the two's feet, and Chad was drooling.

Gabriella laughed softly at her friends, but then Taylor stirred.

"Oooh," she moaned, sitting up, with a hand on her forehead. She squinted her eyes up at Troy and Gabriella. "T-T-Troy?" She yawned. "Gabriella? You guys already up?"

"Yeah, it's like, ten," said Gabriella quietly, not wanting to wake anyone else up.

Taylor moaned again and flopped back on the pull-out bed. "I always tell myself not to drink again whenever I get a hangover, but I never listen to myself."

Gabriella and Troy looked at each other. "Um, sorry?"

"Shh!" she hissed. "Don't talk so loud!"

"Do you wanna get out of here?" Troy mouthed to her.

"Where?" she mouthed back.

Troy shrugged. "Walk around?"

She nodded. "Um. Taylor?"

"What?" her friend groaned.

"Troy and I are gonna go walk around. Tell everyone else later, okay?"

"Okay, okay, just leave!"

Gabriella giggled. The two of them went back into their room to get their shoes, Gabriella grabbed her purse and Troy some sunglasses and his wallet, and then left.

They slowly walked down the stairs to the parking lot of the apartment. Gabriella looked around and said, "Um, where should we go?"

Troy shrugged. "Everything that there is to go is pretty much in walking distance." He checked his watch. "I guess we can go see a movie and then grab some lunch."

"Sure." Gabriella laughed. "Do they have a Starbucks around here?"

"Probably," Troy grinned.

They started walking along the streets slowly, towards, what Troy said, the movie theatre. After a few minute of them slowly walking, just enjoying each others company, Gabriella spotted a Starbucks. They went inside, got their respective coffee's and, of course, a muffin, and slowly continued their walk to the movie theatre. They shared the muffin between themselves, wanting to get a decent breakfast before eating greasy popcorn and who knows what else at the theatre.

When the two of them reached the theatre, they'd finished the muffin but still had their coffee's. They got two tickets to see Scary Movie 4 (turns out there weren't any good movies out) and presented their tickets to the ticket barrier, to get inside.

"I"m sorry, miss, but you two can't bring those in here," said the teenage, pimply, awkward-looking ticket boy.

"Really?" exclaimed Gabriella. It'd been so long since she'd been to a movie theatre. She pouted.

"Awww, it's alright," said the guy sheepishly, blushing. "You guys can bring them in." He gave Gabriella an awkward grin as he handed their tickets back to them.

Gabriella took back her ticket, a surprised expression on her face.

"Nice way to abuse your assets, Gabriella," muttered Troy in her ear.

"Oh, my God, I _so_ did not do that on purpose!" exclaimed Gabriella. "I swear!"

Troy smirked.

"Really!" she cried. _You're flirting again...!_ But she couldn't stop. It just felt perfectly natural.

"Whatever you say," he laughed. "You wanna get anything to eat?"

Gabriella shook her head. "Nah. Greasy, unhealthy food probably isn't good so early in the morning."

"True,"

The walked to the door of their theatre and entered, seeing that the previews had already started.

Troy and Gabriella watched the movie without talking, Gabriella's mind constantly wandering. The one topic it was stuck on was – Troy or Jeremiah?

Troy was a great guy, and they had a lot of chemistry together, but what about her current boyfriend? She loved him so much, and she could see herself being with both of them. Jeremiah lived near her, while Troy lived about 9 hours away. If they dated, they wouldn't really see each other that much. But Troy could probably give her everything she needed, and more.

Gabriella was surprised when the movie ended; she hadn't really paid attention to any of it. The two of them stood up and left the theatre.

"Man, that movie was _so stupid!_" exclaimed Troy, laughing, as they started walking along the streets again to look for a place to eat lunch. Gabriella welcomed the heat from outside, since it had been cold in the theatre. "I can't believe we spent our money on that."

"Yeah," agreed Gabriella. She hadn't actually watched the movie, but it had to have been pretty boring if it couldn't hold her attention.

They walked for a few minutes, sneaking glances at each other. Then they spotted a cute little restaurant on the corner of the street, about six blocks from Ryan and Kelsi's apartment.

"Wanna eat here?" asked Troy.

"Sure!"

There was no wait, and they got a table at the very back, outside, so they were ride next to the sidewalk. They flipped through their menus, trying to decide on whether to have breakfast or lunch.

"I'm gonna get breakfast," declared Gabriella. "I haven't had a real breakfast in a long time."

"I think I will too," Troy put down his menu. "You should start having real breakfasts, Gabriella."

Gabriella shrugged. "Yeah, I know, but-,"

"You wake up early every morning, so what is that you do? Instead of going to Starbucks, maybe you should go to a restaurant and get some breakfast."

"That's a good idea,"

There was a pause. "What do you usually do on weekends?"

Gabriella thought about that. "Well, nothing really." She felt the heat creep up into her cheeks. "That makes me sound like such a loser. But I really _don't_ do anything. Well, last weekend I went to your guys' game and this weekend I came here, but I usually just hang around in my dorm room, watching TV or something, or I'll do homework. Sometimes I'll go for a run. Oh, but I always go out for coffee."

Troy simply nodded.

Their waiter came up to them at that moment, and they ordered. Then when he left, silence fell again.

"So did you have fun this weekend?"

"Yeah! It was great!" said Gabriella enthusiastically. "Most fun I've had in a long, long time."

Troy nodded again. "That's good. I had a lot of fun too."

Gabriella laughed. "It seems like you and I have been stuck together a lot."

He grinned. "Yeah." Then he looked down. After a moment he looked back up and spoke. "What you said yesterday before we went to the club, about not liking me in that way... was that true?"

Before Gabriella had a chance to answer, their food came. The waiter set in front of them two plates loaded with steaming scrambled eggs, greasy bacon, burnt hash browns, and a large biscuit each. This time Gabriella had ordered first, so Troy had gotten the same thing.

She sprinkled some salt on her eggs and took a bite. It tasted wonderful.

After a few moments of them eating, Troy cleared his throat and said casually, "So, um, the answer to my question?"

Gabriella chewing the piece of egg in her mouth slowly. She'd tried to avoid answering it, but how long could she do that for? She swallowed and then said, "Well, yeah. I mean, I'm dating Jeremiah. I love Jeremiah. I love you, but as a friend."

Troy nodded slowly. After another few minutes, he dropped his fork with a loud _clang!_ and Gabriella looked up at him in surprise. "You _know_ that I like you, don't you?"

Gabriella paused, and then nodded.

"So, you know that I'm still in love with you, and you don't love me. Then why are you leading me on?"

"Leading you on?" repeated Gabriella, flabbergasted.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "You keep flirting with me. You let us sleep... like that... last night. What's the deal?"

Gabriella paused again. Troy was 100 right. She _was_ leading him on. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "You're right, I'm leading you on. But it's not intentional!"

"It's not?" he asked. "So, you're flirting with me is _un_intentional? What does that tell us?"

"What?"

"That you do have feelings for me! You're kidding yourself about Jeremiah!"

"No, I'm not!" said Gabriella loudly. A couple people in tables around them looked over. "I'm not," she repeated, lower this time.

"You know, you always get defensive when I mention Jeremiah," said Troy angrily. "Is it because you have to persuade yourself you like him? Because you're kidding yourself?"

"No!"

"Yeah, I think that's it," said Troy. "You really do like me, but for whatever reason, you're convincing yourself that you love him. I don't get it, Gabriella. Why not just be with me?"

"Because I love Jeremiah!" Gabriella hissed. People were starting to stare.

"No, you don't," Troy insisted. "You're just telling yourself that. How come? You don't wanna hurt his feelings?"

"NO!" Gabriella screamed, standing up. She'd never yelled like that at someone before, and it took her a second to realize why she'd just yelled at Troy like that. _Maybe because he's right?_

Troy blinked up at her for a moment. The outside portion of the restaurant had fallen silent, while some passersby were stationary and watching them too. Troy slowly stood up, reached into his wallet, slapped $20 onto the table and said quietly, "I'll take that as a yes," and stormed out.

Gabriella fell back into her chair roughly and started to cry. What was wrong with her? Everything Troy had said was true. She really was afraid of hurting Jeremiah's feelings, and... she _did _love Troy.

"Troy, wait-," Gabriella looked up to try and call him back, but he was already all the way down the street. Before turning the corner, he turned back and looked straight into her tear-strained eyes. For a moment they stared into each other's eyes, and Gabriella briefly thought everything was going to be okay – but then he turned on his heel, rounded the corner, and was gone.

Gabriella sobbed into her arms. She'd just ruined everything. _Everything._ Troy would probably never talk to her again.

People in the restaurant were still paying attention to her. She heard one woman whispered, "Oh, the poor dear," and another lady reply, "Well, from what I could tell, she had it coming..."

She heard someone walk up to the table, and the waiter said tentatively, "Um, the check, miss?"

Gabriella nodded miserably. He walked away and she checked the receipt. It was only $25, and Troy had already left a 20. So Gabriella left a 10 on the table, grabbed her purse, and left.

She walked back quickly to Kelsi and Ryan's apartment, eager to talk to Troy.

However, when she got there, she realized Troy wasn't home. Zeke, Sharpay, Kelsi, and Ryan were still in their rooms, Taylor, Chad, and Jason were sitting up in their respective beds, watching 'My Super Sweet Sixteen' on MTV – _Is that show ever not on?_ Gabriella couldn't help but wonder – and Brooke was drinking orange juice while reading CosmoGirl!

"Damn, I never even dreamed of having a Sweet Sixteen like that," said Taylor. "My Sweet Sixteen was held in my backyard. Remember?

"It was fun, though," said Chad loyally.

"Hey Gabriella," said Taylor. Then catching sight of her expression, said, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..."

Taylor stood up and dragged Gabriella into the room she'd shared with Troy, and then steered her into the closet, so no one would over hear them. "Okay, spill. Why do you look like you've been crying and why did you get back here without Troy?"

Gabriella sighed in defeat and relayed the days events to Taylor.

"Taylor, I'm gonna go catch an earlier flight," said Gabriella, seeing that it was one o' clock. "I don't wanna stay here any longer."

"Oh, but Gabriella-," protested Taylor.

"No," said Gabriella firmly. "I'm going now. Do you think Jason or Ryan can give me a ride? My stuff is already packed."

Taylor was silent. Gabriella sighed impatiently and pushed past her. She grabbed her suitcase, purse, and strode into the living room, saying, "Hey, Jason? Can you give me a ride to the airport?"

Jason blinked at her. "How come?"

"I'm taking an earlier flight," Gabriella informed him.

"What? Why?" asked Chad.

Jason stood up and pulled a pair of shorts on over his boxers and a gray shirt over his undershirt. "Sure, Gabriella, no problem."

"Thanks," she said to Jason, and then to Chad, "I'm not feeling well."

"Oh," said Chad, unconvinced. He glanced at Taylor quickly before getting up and giving her a hug. "It was great seeing you again, Gabriella. I hope you can join us next time."

Gabriella nodded. "Definitely," she assured him, even though she knew she wouldn't. She – no, Troy – had ruined everything.

She hugged Brooke too. "It was lovely meeting you," said Brooke.

"You too,"

Gabriella hugged Taylor stiffly, and, since Sharpay, Zeke, Ryan, and Kelsi were still sleeping, Gabriella couldn't say good-bye to them.

Jason drove her to the airport and hugged her good-bye as he helped her out. "Hope you had a great time," he said earnestly before driving off.

Gabriella purchased her ticket, which was luckily a time only twenty minutes from then, so she boarded the plane immediately.

On the short ride home, Gabriella thought about where she and Troy stood. He was obviously angry beyond reason with her...

_So why should I feel sorry?_ Gabriella felt herself thinking angrily. _Who needs Troy, anyway? Sure, I love him, but I love Jeremiah. I can forget Troy._

By the end of the plane ride, Gabriella had convinced herself that she didn't need Troy, she needed to forget about him, and focus on her relationship with Jeremiah. _He_ was the one for her, anyway.

It was around 4:30 when she landed, and after the taxi ride back to her dorm, it was five o' clock. She half-expected Troy to call her, to ask why she left early, but he didn't. _Forget about him,_ she told herself.

She walked up to her dorm room, happy to be home after that long weekend, and was immensely surprised to find Jeremiah standing in front of her door.

"Gabriella!" he cried, relieved, when he saw her. He quickly walked to her and swept her up into a tight hug. "I missed you so much," he whispered before swooping down to kiss her passionately.

"I missed you too, Jeremiah," said Gabriella, smiling up at the man she loved.

"I'm sorry I didn't call after our little tiff yesterday," he apologized. "I just got so worried about you, but my buddies said not to worry, because you're a responsible girl and can take care of yourself."

Gabriella beamed up at him. "Thank you, Jeremiah," she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I love you," she murmured into his ear.

Instead of replying, Jeremiah pulled away nervously. He walked away from her a few steps, and then walked back.

"Jeremiah?" asked Gabriella, perplexed.

He didn't answer. He instead lowered himself in front of her, on one knee.

"Jeremiah-,"

"Gabriella, I love you," he recited. "I've had so much fun with you these past six, almost seven, months. I know we're made for each other, and I love you for than anything in the world." He pulled a small, dark blue, velvet box from his pocket and opened it, revealing a small, yellow-diamond ring. "Gabriella, will you marry me?"

Gabriella stared at the ring. It was beautiful, although it was hard to overlook the fact that yellow was her least favorite color. But other than that, the ring was _gorgeous_.

_Should I say yes?_ a voice floated through her brain. _Of course I should! I love Jeremiah!_

_But Troy..._ a smaller voice argued.

_Troy, Shmoy! You're with Jeremiah!_

Gabriella smiled even wider at Jeremiah.

"Of course I'll marry you, Jeremiah. I'd want nothing more."


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** Whoa. That last chapter got a _huge_ response. I figured I wouldn't get any reviews because you'd all hate me too much. But, alas, I got reviews – and a couple things thrown at me. But maybe I'll make it up to you... ;-)

This is the second to last chapter, so enjoy the story while it lasts!

Oh, and, by the way:

**MY BIRTHDAY IS TOMORROW!**

Perhaps I'll give you an extra quick update if you wish me a happy birthday... and believe me, you'll want one after reading this...

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 10_

Gabriella was in a daze for the majority of the next day. She was _engaged. _She was engaged to _Jeremiah._ To the boy she _loved._

_Right?_

_Of course right!_ Gabriella scolded herself. _You wouldn't have said yes if you didn't._

_Well, I _did_ have to think about it,_ she reminded herself.

_Oh, I'm sure everyone thinks about it. It's a big thing, getting married._

She sighed. She was too afraid to call her friends and tell them the news, for fear they'd tell Troy, but when she got to her dorm after classes, she decided to at least call her mother.

"Gabi! How was your weekend with your friends?" her mom asked when she picked up.

"Oh, it was really fun," lied Gabriella. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. It had been fun on Saturday. "But guess what?"

"What, hija?"

"Jeremiah proposed when I got home!"

Her mother didn't answer right away. Finally, she said, "What?"

"Jeremiah! My boyfriend, remember?" prodded Gabriella. "Well, actually, now he's my fiancée!"

"Oh," said her mother, dumbfounded. "Um, well, congratulations!"

"Mom? Why don't you seem happy?"

"What?" her mother asked, feigning innocence. "I'm happy! I'm as happy as can be! My daughter is engaged! What's not to be happy about?"

"Mom, what is it?" demanded Gabriella.

Her mother sighed, defeated. "Well, I would've preferred you to be with Troy."

"Ugh!" cried Gabriella in frustration. "Why is everyone saying that? Well, for your information Mom, me and Troy got in a huge fight and he hates me now."

"What? About what, hija?"

"He... well, he thinks I really love him and that I'm just too afraid to hurt Jeremiah's feelings,"

"Oh." Her mother paused. "And you're sure this isn't... true?"

"Mom!" shouted Gabriella. "I thought _you_, of all people, would believe me! I'm not stupid enough to be with a guy I don't like because I'm afraid to _hurt his feelings._ I love Jeremiah, I'm marrying Jeremiah, and whether or not you come to the wedding is of no importance to me!" She hung up the phone and threw it on her bed, fuming.

She sat on her bed next to it and took deep breaths, trying to calm down.. After a moment, her anger turned to shame. She had just been rude to the one person who would always love her and had always been there for her. Her mother wasn't trying to pick a fight with her – she was worried. And Gabriella had obviously given her a reason to be, too.

Just as she was reaching down to pick up the phone to call her mom again, it rang.

_Troy?... no, just Sharpay._

"Hey, Sharpay,"

"Heeeey!" cooed Sharpay over the phone. "Sorry it took me so long to call, but we got in late last night and I had classes today..."

"No, no, don't worry about it,"

"Okay. Well, last night Taylor told us about what happened between you and Troy."

"...Oh,"

"Yeah. I'm not gonna say that I think you really love Troy, because I know you love your boyfriend. But, do you think of Troy like that at _all?_"

Gabriella sighed. "I don't know. I think I thought I did. But I'm so mad at him right now." She paused. "I wasn't when it happened, but I thought about it and now I am. Besides, I'm over Troy."

"You're over him?" asked Sharpay in disbelief. "Already? It's been, like, a day."

"Well, I was always over him, in a way," explained Gabriella. "I didn't love him-," - if she didn't love him, why did it feel as though she were lying through her teeth?- "-but there was a little attraction. But now I'm over all of that, because guess what?"

"Um... what?"

"Jeremiah proposed!"

"_What?_"

"Um... hello? Taylor?" asked Gabriella. "Are you listening in?"

"Sorry, I picked up the phone to make a call and found you guys on it," said Taylor's voice.

"Taylor!" scolded Sharpay.

"You did it too, remember? So anyway, Jeremiah proposed?"

"Yeah," said Gabriella. "And _don't_ mention Troy, my mom already fought with me about that."

"Gabriella," said Taylor patiently. "Everyone thinks you're making a mistake with Jeremiah. Everyone thinks you should be with Troy. So _why_ are you fighting it?"

"Because you guys just think we'd be 'cute' together. My heart doesn't belong to Troy anymore. I'm over him. I don't love him."

"Whatever," repeated Taylor irritably, and she heard a _click!_

"Is she mad at me?" cried Gabriella incredulously.

"I think she's just annoyed," answered Sharpay. "She really, really thinks you and Troy should get married. But I'm happy for you, Gabriella. I haven't met Jeremiah yet, but he seems great."

"Thanks, Sharpay." Gabriella sighed. "Well, I need to go and call my mom back. I have to apologize for something."

"Alright, talk to you later! Oh, and I'll talk to Taylor for you. And do you want me to tell Zeke and Chad the news?"

"Um, sure,"

"What about Jason, Kelsi, and Ryan? Should I call them too?"

"Um... yeah,"

"And... what about Troy?"

Gabriella paused. Did she even _want_ Troy to know? Maybe she could go on with life without Troy ever knowing she got engaged and married to Jeremiah. Maybe she'll run into him and ten years, juggling three kids at the supermarket, and then she'll tell him.

_No. Even though I'm pissed at him, he deserves more than that._

"Sure," she sighed. "I gotta go. Bye." and she hung up.

She dialed her mom's number and apologized profusely. Her mother said she understood, but to at least think about it; about whether or not her heart really belonged to Jeremiah and not Troy. Gabriella promised she would, even though she'd thought about it enough.

She hung up again and sat at her computer, fiddling with the ring. It felt so weird on her finger, like it didn't belong – putting aside the fact that she absolutely despised the color yellow and she didn't like looking at the ring.

Were all brides-to-be like that? They couldn't stand looking at their own engagement ring?

She hoped so.

The rest of the week passed in a daze for Gabriella. The word slowly passed through campus that brainy Gabriella Montez was engaged to _the_ Jeremiah Peris. Everyone was confused by it; why is _he_ still dating _her?_

Gabriella didn't care about that though; what she did care about was how Jeremiah ignored her on campus. She passed him sometimes on the way to classes, and he'd always walk straight past her. A couple times she called out his name and he'd turn around, acting all surprised, and say, "Sorry, baby, I'm late for my next class!" or "Hey baby! I'll call you later! Love you!"

It seemed as though the week was dragging by, but finally, it was Friday. Gabriella couldn't have welcomed the weekend more. She collapsed onto her bed and sighed in relief. The weekend was here.

She glanced at the ring. She'd been engaged for five days, and she'd barely spoken two words with the guy that gave it to her. Was there something wrong here, or what?

Her phone started to vibrate on the desk next to her. She groaned at the thought of having to move, since she was so comfortable, but reached over anyway, hit Accept, and said, "Hello?"

"Gabriella?"

She sat up. "Troy? Why are you calling me?"

"Well, um... Sharpay called. You're engaged, I hear."

"Yeah, that's right," said Gabriella coldly. "To the man I love."

"I see," said Troy awkwardly. "Well, I, um, wanted to say congratulations."

"Well, thanks,"

"Okay,"

"...okay."

"Um... I'll talk to you later,"

"Sure,"

"Bye,"

She hung up. _Uh, that was kinda weird._

She went to the bathroom, carrying some pajamas, and took a long, warm shower. Then she got re-dressed, combed her hair, and washed her face.

It was only about eight o' clock when her hair had finally dried, but she was so tired from the long week that she fell asleep right away.

The next morning Gabriella slept in. When she did wake up, her roommate, Jessyca, exclaimed "Oh, my God! When was the last time you slept in? I don't think I've ever been awake before you."

Gabriella yawned. She felt refreshed. "Well, not counting today, and last Sunday, it's been since summer, I think."

"Jesus," her friend muttered. "So, you haven't shown me your ring yet!" she squealed excitedly, jumping onto Gabriella's bed. She yanked her hand towards her and breathed, "Oh, my God, it's gorgeous!"

Gabriella smiled. "Thanks." She pulled her hand away from Jessyca and stretched. "I'm gonna go get some coffee," she declared. She stood up and stretched again before pulling a pair of jeans and shirt from her drawer. Glancing out the window, she saw that it looked like it was going to rain, so she grabbed a sweatshirt too.

"Ew," said Jessyca, sitting at her desk. "Coffee's gross. And expensive. You should drink tea!"

Gabriella smiled again but didn't answer. She quickly changed, tied her hair up in a ponytail, applied some mascara and lip gloss, and left.

After she'd gotten her usual coffee and muffin, she went back to her dorm, expecting it to be empty. But it was occupied, and not by Jessyca.

By Troy.

"Troy?" exclaimed Gabriella when she saw him, sitting at her computer, supposedly waiting for her. She dropped her half-finished coffee cup and it burst when it hit the ground, splattering coffee all over her shoes. Some of the coffee leaked into her shoe and burned her foot. "Shit," she muttered bending down to pick up the coffee cup. She tossed it into the trash can took off her shoe. Then she looked back up at Troy and demanded, "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to tell you," said Troy, standing up. "how much I love you and want to be with you."

Gabriella sighed. "Thanks, Troy, but-,"

"Gabriella! Get over it! You don't love Jeremiah!"

"I _do!_" screeched Gabriella. "Why doesn't anyone seem to get it? I do, I do, I DO!"

"I know you better than almost anyone," Troy countered. "And I know when you're lying."

"You just wish I was lying!" shouted Gabriella. "You wish I would say 'I love you too, Troy' so you can be happy! But I don't! I don't love you!"

"Damn!" Troy yelled, kicking the wall.

"Troy, stop it!"

"You just don't get-," Troy stammered in his anger. "-how – how _frustrating_ it is to see the woman you love – more than anything in the world – wasting her time with some other guy!"

"And _you_ don't know how frustrating it is to see a guy I care about, but not in that way, refusing to move on!"

"Damn it, Gabriella! Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"Why are _you_ doing this to me?" she screamed. She could hear people coming to stand outside her door, wondering what the noise was.

Without waiting for an answer from Troy, Gabriella wrenched open the door and stormed out, pushing through a small crowd of her peers. She ran outside the school, only to find that it had started raining and she was only wearing one shoe. But she didn't turn back. Instead she ripped off the other one, tossed it away, and kept running.

_Troy is an idiot,_ she thought furiously to herself as she ran blindly through the city, barefoot. She hadn't bothered to put up her hood, and she knew her mascara was running and her hair was getting soaked. _Why won't he just leave me _alone? _I don't love him, and he can't let go..._

...it happened so fast.

She'd turned to cross the street, without really looking where she was going and not seeing properly. Her vision was so obscured from tears, rain, and her running mascara that she stopped in the middle of the street to wipe her eyes on her drenched sweatshirt. It didn't help much.

She sighed and had turned around to walk back to her dorm when she heard a loud _Hoooooooooooonk!_ from somewhere right next to her. Gabriella whipped her head around and saw two headlights belonging to a car.

She threw her arms over her head but it did no good. The car tried to brake, but it hit her anyway. She felt the impact into her stomach. It was so strong that she rolled all the way over the car and then fell off of it from the back. But she kept rolling; rolling and rolling for twenty, maybe thirty, feet, until she finally stopped.

Gabriella could feel blood seeping down from under hair hair; a moment later she saw it in her eyes. It was still raining, and the rain was getting in her eyes, mixing with the blood. She could see people running around like lunatics.

She didn't know how she was still conscious – she was in more physical pain than she had ever felt in her life and she wanted more than anything for it to end – for her to die.

It was hard to breathe – every breath she took felt like torture. Her ribs must be broken. She could feel herself bleeding in other places too, but her brain was too rattled to figure out where they were coming from.

She had to close her eyes to keep the blood and the rain out. As she did, she heard people shouting. She couldn't figure out what they were saying.

But, aside from the physical pain, she was having an emotional crisis inside.

Her brain may be rattled, but the same thoughts kept floating through it.

_What is wrong with me? I love Troy. I love Troy more than life itself, more than anything in the world. _Why _didn't I just tell him? Why didn't I just dump Jeremiah for Troy? Everyone else could see it, except me. And now I'm dying. I deserve it. Troy is going to get over me eventually, marry someone else who's much better than me and who'll never turn him away, and he'll forget about me. Jeremiah will forget too. Everyone will forget... well, maybe not my mom._

_I am so, _so_ stupid. I shouldn't have been thinking about hurting Jeremiah's feelings... sometimes you need to just think about yourself. And what was best for me – and Troy – was for me to be with him, not Jeremiah. Jeremiah doesn't even love me. Troy loves me. _

_And I turned him away._


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** Hello all. This is the final installment of WSB, and it is now time for us to part ways. The journey was fun while it lasted, but now it is over.

HAHA sorry, you guys are probably like "wtf are you dying?" Alas, I am not. And while this story is ending, I still have my other stories.

Oh, and, **I WILL PROBABLY NOT WRITE A SEQUEL TO THIS STORY.** I had to bold that to make sure you read it. I just can't seem to think of any ways to make a good sequel to this so that it's not like all those "10 years after HSM ended" stories. However, most of you read _Time Will Tell_, and while that story only has a few chapters left, I am planning a sequel for that one. And I have another story that I'm working on, _The Light of Love,,_ and I'm brainstorming another.

So fear not! MadiWillow is still up and kickin'!

**Title: **_Where She Belongs  
_**Rating:** _T  
_**Author: **_MadiWillow  
_**Summary:** _Ms. Montez's company transferred her back to San Diego, California. Troy and Gabriella lost touch after the move, but what will happen when they meet up again in college?  
_**Genre:** _Romance/Drama  
_**Chapter: **_Chapter 11_

_Where am I?_

Gabriella was standing in the middle of... nothing. There was nothing anywhere. For as far as she could see, she saw nothing.

_What is this? What happened?_

She strained her memory, but couldn't remember ever arriving at a room like this.

And then she saw it. A bright, yellow light, far along down this white place of nothing.

Strangely, Gabriella felt herself drawn to this light. She walked toward it, curiously at first. But the light wasn't getting any closer. She started to walk faster, and soon she was running. It didn't look as if she were going anywhere. The light was just dancing out of her reach, but she wanted more than anything to reach it.

She groaned outwardly. And then she heard a voice, somewhere far, far above her, saying, "Gabriella? Gabriella... wake up..."

_Is that..._

"Troy?" she heard herself whisper weakly.

There was no immediate answer, and then Troy's voice answered, this time closer, urgently. "Yes, Gabriella, it's me! Gabriella, wake up. Come on, Gabriella, come back to me!"

She looked around but couldn't find him

_Where are you? Are you the light?_

She started toward the light again, and this time it started getting closer, but almost instantly Troy's voice said, "Gabriella, no... you're slipping away... please... don't go..."

Gabriella took another tentative step towards the light, but Troy kept on pleaded. "Gabriella, no, please... don't go... I love you..."

And then she remembered. She remembered their fight, the rain, the accident... her thoughts right before she passed out...

"Troy..."

"Yes, Gabriella, come on! Come on, don't leave us!"

The light was tempting. It was hovering so close to her. She wanted nothing more than to touch it, to see where it would take her... but then she realized she wanted to be with Troy more...

She turned around and saw, instead of more nothing, a pitch-black tunnel a few feet away. She took a couple steps toward it, and Troy's excited voice said, "Come on, Gabriella! Everyone's here – Taylor, Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi – they all flew in when they heard. And your mom is here too – well, not in the room, that's just me here-,"

She was afraid of the tunnel. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to go through it. But Troy's voice was coming from it... so it had to be good.

Gabriella broke into a fast stride as she entered the tunnel, and then she heard Troy's voice, as if he were right next to her, exclaim, "Gabriella!"

She opened her eyes. She wasn't even sure when she'd closed them. But she wasn't in a blank room anymore; now she was in a hospital room. She was lying in a white bed – like she couldn't get enough of that color – in a hospital gown. The shades of a window to her right was open, and sunshine was streaming in, giving her a headache.

"Oh, Gabriella!" Her vision was obscured again when a figure threw themselves on top of her, hugging her tight.

"Um, Troy?" gasped Gabriella, awkwardly hugging him back. "This hurts-,"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Troy sat back in the chair that he had been occupying earlier, which was situated right by her bed. "I can't believe you're awake!"

"What... happened?" she asked, her head throbbing painfully.

"Well, you were hit by a car last week-,"

"Last week!"

"Yeah," said Troy apologetically, as if he could've helped it. "They'd had to perform emergency surgery, because your brain was bleeding. They were able to fix it, and said you would be perfectly fine – if you woke up."

"Wow..." breathed Gabriella. "What's the date?"

"It's Sunday. April 7th."

"I missed a whole week of school?"

"Yeah," Troy laughed. "Don't worry, at least it's not longer."

Gabriella nodded. "So. Everyone else is here?"

Troy nodded. "They came down Saturday afternoon, as did your mom, and left Sunday night. Well, not your mom. She's staying at a hotel. But everyone came back right after their classes on Friday, since it's Spring Break now. They're staying at my place, since my roommate moved in with his girlfriend."

Gabriella laughed, even though it caused her head to pound and pain to sear across her stomach. "Do his parents still pay for it?"

Troy laughed too. "Yeah, they don't care."

Then Gabriella sighed. "Well, I guess my Spring Break will be spent making up homework." She paused and then burst into tears. "Troy, I'm so, so sorry!" she sobbed.

Troy sat up straight, alarmed. He leaned forward and asked, "Why?"

"You were right!" she wailed. "You guys were _all_ right. Right before I fainted after the accident, I was thinking... and you guys were right. I do love you, Troy, more than anything else in this world, and I was trying to deny. I don't know why, but I was. And I also didn't want to hurt Jeremiah's feelings. You guys were right about everything!"

Troy was silent as he watched her. "Are-are you serious?"

"Yes, of course!" she cried, sniffing and sputtering like a toddler. "I love you, and not Jeremiah, and I'm gonna break up with him when I see him. I love you. But I'll understand if you can't forgive me, I mean, I was horrible-," Gabriella's sentence was cut short by Troy's lips on hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes, kissing passionately, before Troy broke away, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

Gabriella still had a few tears in her eyes, and Troy brushed them away with his thumbs.

"So, I guess that means you're okay?" she asked weakly. He smiled, and she smiled back. She reached onto her left hand and yanked the ugly yellow ring off her finger, slapping it down on the table beside her bed. "I hate yellow..."

"Troy?" came a soft, sad voice from outside the hospital room. "Do you wanna come out for a few minutes to get some food? You haven't eaten in days."

"Come in, Kelsi," said Troy, barely keeping the excitement out of her voice.

"Why do you sound so-," started Kelsi as she opened the door. Then she saw Gabriella, sitting up and awake, and looked back and forth between the two. She screamed bloody-murder and ran over to Gabriella, engulfing her in a huge hug. "Oh, my God! OH, MY GOD! YOU'RE AWAKE!" she screamed into Gabriella's ear, which did wonders for her head.

"Yes, Kelsi, thanks," laughed Gabriella, her stomach and head aching. "Can you be a little quieter? It's giving me a headache."

"Oh, sure!" whispered Kelsi. "Oh, wow, I'm gonna go get everyone else, it's just me and Ryan here, we'll have to call them! And your mom! She's gonna be so happy!"

As Kelsi ran from the room, a nurse walked in. "What is this commotion?" the nurse, who was old and wrinkly, with auburn hair pulled up into a tight up-do on her head, asked snappishly, and then stopped short at the sight before her. "Miss Montez! You're awake!"

Gabriella nodded. It felt as though her brain was banging into the sides of her head every time she moved it.

"Mr. Bolton! Out!" said the nurse sharply. "We need to run some tests on Miss Montez."

"Oh, but-," Gabriella protested, but the nurse held up a hand.

"Nope, he has to go. Shoo, now!" She nurse waved her hands and Troy quickly left the room. "Now, Miss Montez," the nurse strode over to her, marking some things on her clipboard. She examined her eyes, her ears, and the rest of her face. Finally, after a few minutes, she put her clipboard down on the foot of her bed and asked, "Does it hurt when I do this?" She put her hands on Gabriella's stomach and pushed down, hard.

Gabriella responded with a cry of pain, sitting up a little.

"Hmm, yes," the nurse murmured, making some more on her clipboard. She sat down in Troy's vacated chair and said, "Miss Montez, did Mr. Bolton tell you anything about what happened?"

"Well, just that my brain was bleeding and I had to be put in surgery," said Gabriella weakly, massaging her now throbbing stomach.

"Yes, well, that's the cliff notes version," said the nurse disapprovingly. "Yes, your brain _was_ bleeding and yes, we _did_ have to perform emergency surgery, but you actually had a worse head injury than that. When paramedics arrived on the scene, they could see a bit of your brain from a hole in your head."

Gabriella gasped, horrified, and put her hand to her head. She felt a small bump, which was extremely sensitive.

"Yes, we had to stitch you up after surgery," said the nurse in a matter-of-fact tone. "Your heart stopped at one point during the surgery, but we were able to bring you back. However, that's how you slipped into a coma."

Gabriella nodded. She could tell how lucky she was to be alive.

"We weren't sure if you were going to wake up, especially this soon without any long-lasting head damage. You're pretty much a medical miracle!"

She smiled weakly. "But why does my-?"

"Ah, your stomach," the nurse interrupted. "Well, you broke four ribs and cracked three others. They have only slightly healed this past week. You may have trouble walking for a while. If that is the case, we have a wheelchair you can use." She gestured towards a folded up wheelchair leaning against the far wall.

The door suddenly burst open to reveal Gabriella's mom running in. Her hair was a mess, as if it hadn't been brushed, or washed, for that matter, in days – which, when Gabriella thought about it, it probably hadn't. She could barely see where she was going, because she was crying so hard.

"Oh hija!" she sobbed as she threw her arms around her daughter. "You're awake! Oh, you're awake! This week has been the worst week of my life! I didn't know if I would ever be able to talk to you again-!"

"Mami!" cried Gabriella, suffocating under her mothers strangling arms. Her mom was also leaning heavily onto her stomach. "Mom-,"

"Um, Miss Montez?" came Troy's voice cautiously somewhere above Gabriella. "I think you might be hurting her-,"

"Oh!" Gabriella's mother stood up. "I'm sorry, Gabi! Oh, I can't _believe_ you're awake!"

Gabriella smiled, massaging her stomach some more. "It's good to be back."

"Gabi!" came a booming voice from the door. Gabriella looked around her mom to see that Jeremiah had pushed past Kelsi and Ryan, who were standing in the doorway, to stride into the room. "Oh, Gabi, I've missed you." He put his hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair. She raised her eyebrows at him. "Where's your ring?" he demanded. "Ah, here it is. I'll help you put that back on-,"

"Um, could you all excuse us please?" asked Gabriella of her nurse, her mother, and Troy.

Miss Montez and Troy left the room, while her nurse added, "I'm Nurse Simpson, in case you need anything," before departing, closing the door behind them.

"What's wrong, baby?" asked Jeremiah, trying to grab her hand.

"Jeremiah," Gabriella sighed and took the ring from him, fingering it. "This... isn't working out."

"What's not?" he asked, confused.

"Us," she supplied. "You and me. Engaged. It's just not working for me."

"What, so you wanna just date again, without being engaged?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Um. No. I don't wanna date you anymore."

Jeremiah stared at her for a moment and then broke out in a rage. "WHAT? YOU BITCH!" He shouted, slapping her across the face. Her cheek burned from the impact, but, for once, she decided to stand up to Jeremiah.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled. "You bastard! Why I ever stayed with you is a mystery to me!" She chucked the hideous yellow ring at Jeremiah, and, in her anger, managed to hit him right between the eyes, leaving a mark. "By the way: I hate yellow!"

"You're gonna pay for that, you fucking-," Jeremiah started towards Gabriella, who actually started to fear for her safety, but was stopped by a "Hey!" from the door.

The two of them looked around to see Troy in the doorway, looking more furious than Gabriella had ever seen him.

"Who the hell are you?" snarled Jeremiah.

"I'm... a friend," said Troy, and Gabriella was thankful. She didn't want Jeremiah to know that she and Troy were gonna start dating now, if that's what they were going to do.

"Well, I'm her fiancée, so you can just leave us the fuck alone," said Jeremiah, before turning back to glare at her.

"No, you're not," said Gabriella, her voice dangerously low. "We're over. Get out."

"WE'RE NOT OVER UNTIL I SAY WE'RE OVER!" Jeremiah yelled. She felt flecks of spit hit her face.

"Dude, just _get out_," said Troy warningly.

"How 'bout you just shut the fuck up?" hissed Jeremiah to Troy.

"Hey, look-," Troy started towards Jeremiah, but Jeremiah was quicker. He took a few steps forward and slapped Gabriella again.

She heard a bunch of yells from the doorway and looked up in time to see Chad, Jason, Zeke, and Troy wrestling with Jeremiah, dragging him out.

As soon as they dragged him out, Ryan bounded in. "They just got here, they walked in to see how you were doing and saw him slap you." Kelsi, Taylor, Sharpay, and Brooke walked in after him. "So that's Jeremiah, huh? The fiancée?"

"Well, not anymore," Gabriella said. She couldn't help but smile.

"And yet you're so happy about this because...?" prodded Sharpay.

Gabriella beamed. "Because I think Troy and I are together again."

Kelsi, Sharpay, and Taylor are joined hands and started to squeal, jumping up and down together. Brooke just grinned at her and stated, "Well, I wasn't really in on this plan to get you two together, since I didn't know you in high school, but I do think you guys would look marvelous together."

"Thanks," laughed Gabriella.

"Yay!" cried Taylor.

"What changed?" asked Sharpay.

"Well, I almost died," Gabriella informed them matter-of-factly. "You know, after I was hit, I didn't faint right away. I was still conscious. And I basically had an epiphany. I realized that life is too short to lie to yourself, and convince yourself of something when your heart is saying something completely different."

"How beautiful," joked Sharpay.

"Hey!" said Gabriella. "But, it's true. So I told Troy this and I think we're dating now."

"It worked!" exclaimed Taylor.

Gabriella pretended to be offended. "You mean you _meant_ for me to get hit by a car?"

They laughed, and Ryan, slouching, left the room, mumbling something that sounded like "Girls..."

A few minutes later the boys came back, saying that they'd had to get security to remove Jeremiah from the building.

"That's one creepy guy," said Chad, shivering.

"So you dumped him? That's why he was so angry?" asked Jason.

Gabriella nodded.

"How come?"

She glanced at Troy and he looked back at her, grinning. "Because my heart belongs somewhere else."

Troy walked over to the other side of her bed and put his hand on her shoulder. They smiled up at their friends.

"So – you two – are going out now?" asked Zeke, wagging his fingers at them.

They nodded.

"_Finally!_" All of their friends chorused.

The two of them laughed.

Gabriella looked up at Troy and he looked down at her. As soon as their eyes met, she knew that everything was going to be okay. She and Troy would do fine together. Even if Jeremiah was a lunatic and he tried to come after her – she would be okay. _They_ would be okay.

She was finally where she belonged.


End file.
